Published
Fri, Nov 22, 2013, 12:29
- The Hessian environmental secretary has deemed the Mainwiesen in Hanau, the festival's longtime home, off-limits for this year.
The next edition of Love Family Park will not take place at the Mainwiesen in Hanau, Germany.
According to a statement posted to Love Family Park's website, the Hessian State Ministry for Environment and Energy has not granted permission to use the site, which is within a landscape protection area. The promoters, as you'd expect, are taken aback by the decision to the shut the 17-year-old festival out of the site. A statement from organisers says: "[Hessian environmental secretary Lucia] Puttrich’s directive can only be interpreted as a decision against Love Family Park and consequently as a decision against the regional youth and music culture amounting to discrimination." It further notes that other events occurring within the protection area have not been denied permits, and studies have shown that the festival does not cause lasting environmental damage to the area. The festival, long associated with Sven Väth, cites Hanau's mayor Claus Kaminsky as one of its staunch supporters.
The festival’s host, Robin Ebinger, apparently has a "plan B" that will allow the show to go on for Love Family Park in 2014. Still, the festival is inviting "realistic and appropriate suggestions regarding the festival’s dimension" from fans. They've also started a petition to keep the the festival at the Mainwiesen.