Death Disco Open Air Festival 2023

Goths against heatwave in the 2-day Death Disco Open Air Festival!

 We have reached the hottest two days of the year. And I am not talking about the crazy temperature that will prevail on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 July 2023 in Athens. It's about the high-anticipated two-day open air festival of Death Disco and the crazy man behind it. Death Disco is celebrating its 10 years of existence in the dark alternative scene of Athens and Leonidas Skiadas thought to celebrate it as best fits. Organizing the first dark alternative open air festival in Greece, Death Disco Open Air Festival. Because when you have a long history in organizing countless successful events, well, the 10-year birthday deserves to be etched in the memory of fans of the dark underground culture.

When, many years ago, I started getting in touch with the biggest dark/industrial festivals in Europe, I had this crazy fantasy. If only we could see a similar event in Greece. An effort should be made to bring some of the biggest names of the scene to our country and with this opportunity to gather all those who have been running all over Europe, all these years, to be present at respective events.

And certainly there have been attempts in the past, some really worthy and successful. But now, here, we are talking about the first open air festival of the dark, electro scene in Greece. Pure, dark, electro, synth, post-punk, goth festival. Without being mixed with something else that might fit. A festival for those who listen to this music, but also for those who want to get a good taste and start their quest in this side of music. A festival for those who are not afraid to wear their most gothic clothes, the most extreme make up, put on all the lac and whatever hair spray they have at their disposal, defying the hot Athenian sun and one of the hottest weekends of recent years.

And I say this because my visits to festivals in Europe, over the last 20 years, have shown that one of the best things about these gatherings, apart from the amazing live shows, is the unique feeling you get, when you're among so many people who love exactly the same thing as you. All this unique culture of the dark alternative scene.

So don't hesitate to put on the most extreme outfit this two days. But at the same time, be prepared for the heat of the day by following all the instructions given by the Death Disco Open Air Festival (see the official announcement below) . And after doing all this, don't forget your best mood and get ready for one of the best events of this summer.

I won't say much about the line-up and the bands that will appear at Death Disco Open Air. Others have done it all this time before with articles and interviews from the same artists. I will say that, as a whole, it is a very tight and strong line-up. 15 bands, some of which have written some of the most important chapters in the history of this music scene, such as The Sisters Of Mercy, VNV Nation, Sad Lovers & Giants, Absolute Body Control, Mecano Un.Ltd, some others who made this musical idiom great again, with their music and their influences, such as She Past Away, Selofan, Lebanon Hannover.

But also bands that are at their best phase, with incredible releases and terrific live performances such as ACTORS (read ACTORS interview here), Ploho and Rue Oberkampf (read Rue Oberkampf interview here). And of course, such a festival could not leave aside the local scene with some of the best bands of recent years, such as Mechanimal, Kalte Nacht, Data Fragments and Youth Valley. And for all this, the incredible Grey Gallows and Incirrina will warm us up with the pre show event on Friday, July 21, at the Death Disco Club, together with the DJ sets of DJ Cold Transmission (DE) and DJ Lippe (DE).

An ideal line-up for the biggest birthday party, that of Death Disco. In a festival that looks similar events in Europe straight in the eyes, without having anything to envy at all. I would actually say the opposite, since, at least in the very big events of the genre, the repetitions in the line-ups with the same bands every year have started to get tiring. And I say this with all due respect to the bands that have carried the history of dark music all these years, but the scene is alive with many new and worthy names who give us great music and write the new pages in this history.

This is exactly what makes Death Disco Open Air a success before its doors even open. The perfect blend with the right doses of the past, present and future of dark wave music and the gothic, electro lifestyle.

That's all for now. I will see you in front of the 2 stages of the Death Disco Open Air Festival for many enjoyable moments. Where the bands and the music will now have the say.

Find all the information you will need in the festival;s official pages:

https://www.facebook.com/deathdiscoopenairfest

https://www.facebook.com/events/1212139756091583

Tickets are still available online:

https://www.viva.gr/tickets/music/tagfest/death-disco-open-air-festival-2023/

Useful information for the visitors of the Death Disco Athens Open Air Festival 2023:

The Box office will be open from 18:00. Tickets for each of the two days of the festival will be sold there separately (€50) as well as two-day tickets (€80).
Doors open at 18:30.

Important: Those who come early should dress lightly, wear sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses. Also, a fan wouldn't be a bad idea, it fits the aesthetic of the festival after all.
After the tickets are scanned at the entrance, there will be two lines, one for those with two-day tickets (which will be exchanged for the weekend wristband) and one for those with one-day tickets.

On the way to the main stage there will be the Bars and the Merch Stand where the official merch of the festival and the bands will be available (the majority of the bands will bring their own merch.)

At 19:00 the first band will start on the main stage of the Technopolis city of Athens. At 19:15 the doors to the closed and air-conditioned room of the Machine Work Stage will open. At 19:30 the first band will start there.

From the beginning to the end of the festival, as in all the events that take place in the Technopolis city of Athens, there will be a medical staff to supervise the area.

Explicitly prohibited: Offensive behaviors. Verbal or physical harassment. Homophobic, transphobic and any kind of racist behavior and/or comments. Any of the above will lead to immediate removal from the festival.

In case of concern / problem, contact the security guards or the organizers.

Festival schedule:

Saturday, July 22
Open air stage
19.00 – 19.30 YOUTH VALLEY
20.00 – 20.40 PLOHO
21.10 – 22.10 LEBANON HANOVER
22.40 - 23.55 VNV NATION
Machine work stage (In door / air conditioned)
19.30 – 20.00 KALTE NACHT
20.30 – 21.20 RUE OBERKAMPF
22.00 – 23.00 SELOFAN
23.40 – 01:00 SAD LOVERS AND GIANTS
Sunday, July 23
Open air stages
19.00 – 19.30 DATA FRAGMENTS
20.00 – 20.40 ACTORS
21.10 – 22.10 SHE PAST AWAY
22.40 - 23.55 THE SISTERS OF MERCY
Machine work stage (In door / air conditioned)
19.30 – 20.00 MECHANICAL
20.30 – 21.30 MECANO UN.LTD
22.00 – 23.00 ABSOLUTE BODY CONTROL

Info:
Death Disco Open Air Festival
Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 July
Doors Open:
Open Air Stage: 18:30
Machine Work Stage (Indoor): 19:15
Two-day tickets: €80
One-day tickets: Presale: €45 - Cashier: €50
Technopolis of the Municipality of Athens:
Piraeus 100, Gazi, / 213 0109300, 213 0109324
www.athens-technopolis.gr
Access: Metro: "Kerameikos" Station
Trolley: No. 21 (from Omonia), Stop "Fotaerio"
Buses: 035, 049, 227, 815, 838, 914, B18, C18, "Fotaerio" Stop
Organisation: Death Disco
Production organization & execution / Contact: Goodheart Productions