Hidden at the very entrance of the Swabian Alb on the property of the environmental education centre Reutlingen – this is were a tiny and neat festival called Burning Eagle takes place the second time and where we found nothing but hope and passion. Hope for an exhilarating musical and visual experience with fireworks of musical creativity and passion.
NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION visited this two-days open air spectacle and has collected 10 exceptional features compared to other festivals.
#1 CREATIVE INSTALLATIONS
Curtains up, and welcome to the Burning Eagle Festival. Guided by signs bearing the words ‘Zukunft’ (future), ‘Vision’ (vision), ‘Liebe’ (love) and ‘Sehnsucht’ (desire) and embellished with various bird decorations and Chinese lanterns, the way to the festival passes luscious orchards where a herd of goats grazes. After a small walk the gaze is directed towards a clearing with trees having pennants and frameworks hanging from them. You immerse in the festival through a natural gateway, which lights up during night like all the innumerable multicolored fairy lights or flickering cotton-ball clouds that fill the festival space. If one thinks this is all the visual art, which is to be found, far from it. Various installations set the scene effectively and tastefully, lovingly and artistically, creating conformity with the nature.
#2 ATMOSPHERE and SURROUNDING
A meadow lined with apple trees, birches and scrubs, food stalls, a bar and various other booths are scattered across this quaint terrain of the Listhof. Young and old have made themselves comfortable on either blankets or in one of the hammocks surrounded by several retro living room lamps. In this cosy atmosphere the visitors listen to the concerts with an almost devoid silence which reflects nothing else than authentic euphoria. No wonder, it feels like stepping right into someone’s private festive garden party once you enter the festival area. You might also feel like slowing down a notch, escaping today’s fast pace. It´s not only the atmosphere and surroundings but the timetable without parallel gigs which allows the visitor to find deceleration. No doubt, this is one thing that constitutes the beauty of the festival.
#3 REGIONAL ANCHORING and SUSTAINABILITY
The concept of the festival takes a bearing on the local and sustainable business and lifestyle. The festival itself serves as a platform for especially fair-trade, organic and regional products. Swabian delicacies, environmentally friendly produced fashion & various other products distributed but also designed by better2gether or goodies from the Weltladen Reutlingen are part of this selection. No question: Dennis Adler and his partners succeed in creating a festival that in its whole integrates into the exclusive nature at the foot of the Swabian Alb.
#4 FESTIVAL BEER
Proudly, the team of the Burning Eagle Festival sell a home-brewed beer called just like the booking agency of Dennis Adler – ‘Bogak’. It is an organic, full-bodied and flavorful beer which premiered at Burning Eagle Festival 2013. Let’s be honest, which other festival can score with a self-made beer that comes with a self-designed label?
#5 ARTISTS
Truly unique is the interaction between the artists and the visitors – happening spontaneously during and after the gig, creating intimacy or a somewhat personal almost family-like character. Emanuel Ayvas of the band EMANUAL AND THE FEAR as well as Fredrik Karlsson from SOLANDER encourages everyone to have Bogak beer after their performance. Indeed you happen to find some of the artists standing right next to you checking out some of the other music performances or trying to dive into the comfortable ambience. It would be foolish if not sad to not take the chance having a personal talk with one of the bands.
#6 PEOPLE
Either young or old, from the north or from the south, everyone is well-accepted and fits well into the natural tolerance that underlies the festival. Visitors that hadn’t known each other on Friday may have become true friends by Saturday. It is not too farfetched that if the festival was on for three days, you would have a least talked to most of the likeminded. It´s not necessary at all to arrange meeting points with friends, as you will run into each other again very quickly. In case you still find yourself in the situation of not finding your friend, have a look at the ‘Viva con Agua’ stand. It’s possible your mate is playing that wooden board game (please get in touch with us if you remember the name of it!) with someone he/she just met randomly.
#7 MUSICAL EXPERIENCE
The Burning Eagle Festival is probably one of the festivals being able to create a cross-section of several music genres despite its small size. Unconventional indie, sensual electronic, folk or singer-song-writer music as well as poetry and instrumental parts complete the line-up with artists as SON LUX, FUJIYA & MIYAGI, DIE HÖCHSTE EISENBAHN, KINS, THE WAVE PICTURES, LUBOMYR MELNYK, ALABSTER DEPLUME, TALKING TO TURTLES, KEVIN DEVINE, THE ELWINS, SOLANDER, LAMBS & WOLVES, DAVID LEMAITRE, KALLE MATTSON and THE GENTLE CHURCH.
Do not make the mistake relying on the image having a passive role and just being a casual bystander at the shows! We can assure that in the end you will find yourself on stage with a bunch of other visitors, artists and festival team members jointly singing MICHAEL JACKSON’s Heal the World.
#8 CAMPING
One would almost have to whisper on the camp ground to not wake someone up later at night or early in the morning. You would be seriously surprised about how tiny a place can be where you can pitch your tent. Since the music stops at around 1am, most people apart from a rather small group that search the festival area for some dj music creep away in their tents and get a good night sleep.
The sanitary facilities are without doubt a dream, in both cleanness and queuing compared to other festivals.
#9 FESTIVAL TEAM
It´s just the second time the Burning Eagle Festival takes place outside, but the team seems already well established. The shared passion, spirit and philosophy within the team of Dennis Adler- who is supported by Henrik Junger (better2gether-shop) and the franz. K. (cultural centre) is somehow the key of it all. The idea is communicated authentically and reflected by the quality of the whole festival. In fact, the organizing team manages to set a creative interplay between space, nature, music, decoration and light making it a memorable experience. The sensational mixture of musical performances not only connects people but also brings and almost merges together the surrounding nature and people.
#10 A PLACE TO FIND YOURSELF A FUTURE!
