Woodstock of Brass Music - the international brass music festival in the Innviertel

15 Questions about the Woodstock of Brass Music

❓ How did the WDB come about? What were the motivations behind it?
In 2004, we rehearsed with MaChlast for an entire weekend in St. Martin im Innkreis. It was a musical weekend with a beer or two. “If we’re going to do this, let’s do it right…” we thought, and concluded our productive rehearsals with a small concert at the Hofwirt with about 70 guests. Perhaps only 20 people actually paid a few euros for entry. A year later, there was a CD presentation by MaChlast and da Blechhauf’n in a riding hall. By 2006, it had already turned into a three-day festival. The first Bohemian Spring – featuring MaChlast, da Blechhauf’n, and the brass band Makos. Until 2010, this event grew annually – 1,800 guests over three days was the maximum. From this growing interest in brass music, the idea for a larger festival emerged. At the first Woodstock of Brass Music, we experienced rather chaotic conditions. We organized the festival with five to six people on site.

❓ How did the name of the festival come about?
Woodstock is the mother of all festivals. The term itself already stands for festival. Combined with brass music, everything is essentially packed into the name: a never-before-seen festival format featuring all forms of brass music.

❓ Since when has the WDB had its current size and what was the initial visitor count?
We started with 9,000 visitors over four days, back then in Kopfing im Innkreis, and now we are heading towards 65,000-70,000 visitors over four days. One could say that we have been operating in this dimension since 2017.

❓ So far, we have had visitors from the following countries:
Australia, Belgium, China, Germany, England, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Japan, Canada, Croatia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Austria, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, the Czech Republic, Hungary, USA.

❓ How many visitors did you have in 2019?
There were around 65,000 visitors over 4 days.

❓ Some data from the Woodstock of Brass Music GASTRO
Free soda (total) 2,202 liters
Bacardi Cola total 1,504 liters
Ice cubes 1,558 kg
Beer consumption backstage 1,870 liters
Meals backstage 4,223 portions
Alpenkebap 7,354 pieces
Leberkässemmerl 6,421 pieces
Onion consumption 687 kg
Potatoes 1,592 kg

❓ How many people work at the festival itself?
Security personnel 180 people, internal production team 44 people, logistics and infrastructure 80 people, technology 70 people, gastronomy 320 people, operational staff 89 people, club helpers 683 people.

❓ Are there more Germans or Austrians at Woodstock?
52% Austria
42% Germany
3% Switzerland
2% Netherlands
1% Rest of the world

❓ How many bands perform at the WDB?
From 2011 to 2019, there were a total of 617 bands with 6,223 musicians from 19 nations. For 2020, 120 bands with 1,250 musicians from 10 nations were scheduled.

❓ How old are the festival guests?
40% between 0-24 years
47% between 25-44 years
13% over 45 years

❓ How long does it take after the festival ends for every last remnant to be cleared away?
Within two weeks, everything is as clean as possible again. From cleaning the parking lots and surrounding areas to dismantling the stages and site structures. However, it takes months until every piece of equipment and every sign is back where it belongs, until everything is archived and an inventory assessment is completed.

❓ How is the organization behind the scenes managed? And where do the musicians stay?
Each stage has its own stage manager who has an overall view. Additionally, there is an artist coordinator for each stage who takes care of the artists. One person is responsible for the entire backstage area. Musicians stay in nearby hotels and accommodations, but some also simply camp, depending on the bands' preferences.

❓ When does planning for the next WDB begin?
After the WDB is before the WDB.

❓ Does every musician really travel with their instrument?
Yes. 99% of the musicians bring their instruments; for international artists, the backline is occasionally provided, which includes percussion instruments, amplifiers, guitars, etc.

❓ Is there a specific age restriction for festival visitors?
No, of course not. We are proud of our oldest festival visitors. This includes, among others, the mother of our production manager. She is driven to the festival site daily by her grandchildren – in a golf cart, of course. She and a local woman from St. Martin – both very enthusiastic about Woodstock – were both 86 years old at the 2019 festival. Two Belgian brothers also belong to the older generation at the festival. They have been guests since the Bohemian Spring every year, and both are now over 80 years old. Probably the oldest brother duo at the festival.