Way Out West in Göteborg Sweden the 12-14 of August 2010

Way Out West, Gothenburg – one of the best urban music festivals in Europe

Way Out West music festival in Sweden’s second city, Gothenburg, is rewarded as one of the best festivals in Europe - despite being in only its fourth year. The first artists have been announced for 2010’s event and tickets are now on sale. Add to this the coinciding Gothenburg culture festival and these mid August days in Gothenburg promise to be something extraordinary.

For three days Gothenburg is home to the crème de la crème  of national and international music. The line-up for 2010 so far includes M.I.A., Iggy & The Stooges, The Chemical Brothers, Lykke Li, LCD Soundsystem, Paul Weller, Pavement, La Roux, Girls, The xx, The National, Jens Lekman, Miike Snow, Imperial State Electric, Jónsi, The Drums, Mumford & Sons, Real Estate, Surfer Blood, The Radio Dept., Konono No1, Rango and Cymbals Eat Guitars, to name a few.


Last year’s sold out success with headliners such as Arctic Monkeys, Glasvegas, NAS, and Lily Allen, as well as Antony and The Johnsons, on stage with the renowned Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, was no surprise. This while the festival’s premier in 2007, with Kanye West’s spectacular final night performance, was followed up by 2008’s great line-up including Neil Young and N*E*R*D, all signaled that Way Out West was a new force on the European festival scene. With 25,000 festival-goers on both days, tickets for 2010 are expected to sell out in record time.

Way Out West’s unique city-based format taps into Gothenburg’s thriving music scenes, with performances at the city’s clubs and cultural centres before and during the festival. Last year, performances from home-grown international DJs, such as Kleerup, set Gothenburg clubs pumping and this year a collaboration with local art schools promises to take Way Out West’s special formula one step further.

“The club concept is a crucial part of Way Out West and strengthens the urban feel of the festival, and has been really popular,” comments Joel Borg, Press Officer for festival organizers Luger. “We have a great partnership with the town and are thrilled to be in Slottsskogen city park again.”

Slottskogen is Gothenburg’s’ favourite park: a wonderful open space with large grass areas, small hills, trees and a forest, and even enclosed pastures with Nordic animals such as elk. Right in the city centre, it’s within walking distance of two of the city’s best-loved districts: the culturally diverse Linné and historic Haga, as well as various hotels and hostels.

Environmentally-certified, Way Out West is organized to respect the park environment - as well as festival-goers’ safety - and a tasty selection of organic food is on the menu. One of the city’s star restaurateurs is behind the food stalls at the festival, meaning fresh seafood, a local specialty, is also on offer.

Home to intimate gig venues, big arenas, recording studios and events, Gothenburg is viewed on the international music scene as a place to watch for its emerging musical talent. The city has also long been a destination of choice for musical artists on world tours, such as last summers concerts with AC/DC, U2 and Madonna playing to audiences of 60,000 at the central Ullevi stadium. Yet confirmed for 2010 is Pink on 23 July.

For those who wish to stay on and see more of this area of West Sweden, it’s easy to travel from Gothenburg to the local beautiful islands. Marstrand, the yachting capital, is only an hour bus ride away, and the floating hotel, Salt & Sill at Klädesholmen, is a picturesque fishing village further up the coast that should not be missed.

Way Out West - Essential Information:
When: Friday 13th and Saturday 14th August, with club performances from the evening of Thursday 12th until Saturday 14th
Where: Slottsskogen city park in central Gothenburg.
Tickets: 1,390 Swedish crowns (£115) for a full two day festival pass including club performances. Ticket sales at Eventim: Telephone +46 771651000.
For more info on Gothenburg, and to book hotels online: www.goteborg.com
For more info on West Sweden: www.westsweden.com