Initial assessment: Rhine in Flames and the Koblenz Summer Festival 2024 -a brilliant festival for everyone
Over 150,000 enthusiastic people celebrated at the weekend between Spay/Braubach and the Deutsches Eck in Koblenz at various Rhine in Flames® events. Koblenz-Touristik GmbH, the event organizer, is pleased with the results.
The Koblenz Summer Festival, the highlight of which was the renowned fireworks spectacle late on Saturday evening, delighted not only tens of thousands of Koblenz residents, but also guests from all over the world. This year's edition of the event was a complete success.
Well over 100,000 people of all ages celebrated the summer in the sunshine from Friday to Sunday and enjoyed the balanced and varied program in the eight event areas. Although the impressive fireworks display was once again the most eagerly awaited item on the program this year, the revised event concept was a complete success.
Claus Hoffmann, Managing Director of Koblenz-Touristik GmbH, said: "It was very important to us to focus more than ever on program diversity this year in order to enable a summer festival on Friday and Sunday in addition to Saturday, which is gaining popularity far beyond the state borders. We wanted a festival for everyone - and we succeeded."
Rhine in Flames® - a unique festival from Spay to Koblenz
Spay, Rhens, Braubach and Lahnstein were also full of atmosphere at Rhine in Flames®. Numerous visitors experienced entertaining and exciting land-based programs that made for a great summer weekend. Artists from a wide range of genres, extraordinary city tours and many offers for children contributed to the diversity of the summer festivals. Body and soul were also catered for: the numerous food and drink stands left nothing to be desired.
The colorfully illuminated convoy of boats was once again an experience for many. This accompanied all the fireworks from Spay to Koblenz downstream over a distance of approx. 17 km. Even a minor collision between two participating ships did not detract from this. This allowed the convoy to end on time in a choreographed formation near the Deutsches Eck for the final fireworks display over the Festung Ehrenbreitstein. The 30 or so beautifully illuminated ships, with a good 6,500 guests from all over the world, formed up in impressive maneuvers on the Rhine.
Once again this year, almost all tickets were sold out early, but a few lucky people were able to purchase remaining tickets shortly before Rhine in Flames®.
Voices of the mayors
Lennart Siefert, Lord Mayor of Lahnstein, was delighted: "A weekend full of enjoyment, humor and spectacular fireworks in Lahnstein. The atmosphere was simply fantastic and it was wonderful to see our town shine in such a positive light. Our guests enjoyed the diverse culinary offerings and the numerous cultural highlights, which made this weekend an unforgettable experience."
Günter Goß, Mayor of Braubach, also drew a positive conclusion: "Two days of partying in the Braubach Rheinanlagen - our summer night festival was a complete success. The combination of live music, delicious food and drinks and the many activities for children and families delighted everyone. It's great to see our community coming together and celebrating together."
Jörg Schüller, Mayor of Rhens, was delighted with the successful event together with the St. Georg scouts: "Although the completion of Rheinanlagen was not quite finished yet, the Rhens scouts put on a wonderful summer festival for young and old. Together with many guests from out of town, the people of Rhens were finally able to celebrate on the Rhine again. The particularly festive atmosphere there always makes this event a unique experience and we are proud to be part of Rhine in Flames."
Günther Werner, first alderman of Spay, emphasized the variety of events: "A diverse programme from theater to a summer party - Spay had a lot to offer this weekend. Visitors could look forward to a varied program ranging from cultural performances to exuberant parties. The positive response shows us that our efforts to create an attractive and varied festival were successful."
The fireworks in Koblenz
The fireworks show at the Deutsches Eck captivated the audience. The pyrotechnics company NICO Europe conjured up one of the most elaborate high-altitude fireworks displays in Germany. For over 25 minutes, the sky above the fortress shone and glittered in all colors.
The show was accompanied by a musical dramaturgy specially developed for the fireworks by SWR, with the theme "Disney Classics", including works by Hans Zimmer, Elton John and Phil Collins. Both the introduction and the epilogue were arrangements by SWR 4.
The Lord Mayor of Koblenz, David Langner, said: "It was great to be able to celebrate such an event peacefully with so many people. For me, Rhein in Flammen® in combination with our summer festival is pure fascination. Over three days, the Koblenz Summer Festival certainly and impressively showed how diverse Koblenz is. The various program items, from music and culture to culinary highlights, perfectly reflected the colourful mix of our city. We are proud to have hosted so many people from near and far. My special thanks go to all those who managed to organize this major event so perfectly in just a few months due to the changing role of the municipalities as sole organizers."
The Koblenz Summer Festival - from entertaining to delicious
The eight event areas were managed by regional restaurateurs and major event organizers. In consultation with Koblenz-Touristik GmbH, they designed an event program that offered a wide range of entertainment and culinary delights. Guests at the summer festival were able to enjoy live music from singer/songwriters, dance to hip-hop and Brazilian music or sing along to rock acts and the karaoke night party. In addition, many visitors embarked on a tasty journey through the various food stalls with their diverse offerings.
Peaceful summer festival atmosphere
The respectful coexistence, to which those responsible attached great importance right from the planning stage, deserves special mention.
"The fact that well over 100,000 people come together to celebrate a festival respectfully is no longer a matter of course. We have therefore developed a concept that enables a peaceful, inclusive overall experience," said Daniel Steiger, Head of the Events Department. The deployment of an awareness team, which was present at a central contact point as well as mobile on the site, proved its worth.
The police, fire department and emergency services also confirmed this positive impression and spoke of one of the calmest Rhine in Flames® events in their memories. Despite the high number of visitors, no special incidents were reported, so the overall conclusion was positive.
Hardly any annoyances due to traffic management
A new traffic concept was implemented over the three days of the event. In the run-up to the event, information about the changed traffic routing was published on the summer festival website as well as various press articles and flyers for the affected residents. The resulting car-free area around the event site allowed for a much more balanced flow of visitors. Local public transport, which was supplemented by additional buses and trains, and the Park & Ride facilities provided great relief. The temporary, guarded bicycle parking area was also well received. Overall, the transport concept met with great acceptance.
Claus Hoffmann is grateful for the success of the major event and looks to the future with confidence: "Of course, after this success, the Koblenz-Touristik GmbH team is looking forward to the Koblenz Summer Festival with Rhine in Flames® 2025. We are already working to ensure that we can celebrate an even more colourful and diverse event together with all the people of Koblenz and the many guests from near and far."
Press contact:
Jan Moryson
Koblenz-Touristik GmbH
Marketing department
Bahnhofplatz 7
56068 Koblenz
Tel. 0261 - 303 88 27
presse@koblenz-touristik.de
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