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Fruzsina Szép talks to IQ about returning to the German festival, which she played a key role in from its launch in 2015
By Lisa Henderson on 15 Apr 2024
Goodlive's Fruzsina Szép
Berlin-headquartered festival, booking and services agency Goodlive is re-joining the organisation and production of Lollapalooza Berlin.
C3 Presents, Festival Republic and Goodlive launched Lolla Berlin in 2015 with seasoned festival pro Fruzsina Szép part of the leadership team for the festival until 2020 when Goodlive launched Superbloom in Munich.
For the last three years, Lolla Berlin has been produced by C3 Presents and Live Nation GSA (Germany Switzerland Austria). With the latter now a majority shareholder of Goodlive, all three parties will work on the festival with Szép as festival director.
“I loved Lolla Berlin,” says Szép. “Two weeks ago I went for a site visit in Berlin and it felt so great to be back on site and to feel the energy of the space again.”
With Superbloom and Lolla Berlin taking place on the same weekend (7-8 September) more than 300 miles apart, joint festival teams are set to be busier than ever.
“Two weeks ago I went for a site visit in Berlin and it felt so great to be back on site and to feel the energy of the space again”
Whether the festivals will act as twin events is yet to be seen, depending on football calendars, but there are advantages when it comes to synergies on production and booking, according to Szép.
The festival’s 2024 lineups share more than a dozen acts, including Sam Smith, Burna Boy, The Chainsmokers, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Loyle Carner, Nothing But Thieves, The Sacred Souls, Chappell Roan and Apashe with Brass Orchestra.
Another similarity between Superbloom and Lolla Berlin is their sites – both taking place in the Olympic Stadiums of their respective cities – but Szép stresses that both venues are “pretty different”.
“They both have their strong character and history to tell,” she says. “With Superbloom, even in year three, we are still learning how to adjust some of our stages and experience areas to have even more comfort, happiness and beauty for our guests.
“With Lolla Berlin, it is nice to be ‘back home’ in an area that I know well. We will make some changes and adjustments that are important for the customer journey to feel good on site.
“I’m a very visual person and also pretty emotional so in my heart I am already thinking about further developments for the future. In 2025 it will be the 10th anniversary of Lolla Berlin so we have some innovative ideas in our pocket that we’d love to realize.”
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