Published
Mon, Jan 28, 2019, 17:42
- Festivalgoers have expressed disappointment over the fake ice in Eishalle—German for "ice rink."
CTM Festival's ice skating rink is not made of ice after all.
The Eishalle, which is German for "ice rink," offered ticket holders the chance to go "ice skating to adventurous sounds" in the seldom opened Halle Am Berghain. Artists such as Skatebård, DJ Occult and Rabih Beaini were set to soundtrack the rink across nine days. The Eishalle generated immediate hype upon announcement, with nearly 12,000 people expressing interest on its Facebook event in a matter of days.
But excitement turned into disappointment after this past opening weekend. Guests who attended took to social media to express criticism: the rink was too small; there were not enough rental skates; and, most surprisingly, the ice itself was not real.
CTM Festival confirmed this on Facebook while addressing the negative feedback. "We are aware that the synthetic ice surface that is being used doesn't deliver a fully satisfying skating experience," they wrote, "and have also made the supplier aware that it does not work as it was advertised to us."
The promoters also say they were surprised with Eishalle's popularity, which left them unprepared to deal with demand. "What started as a tongue-in-cheek attempt to break up the seriousness often associated with the festival, quickly gained a whole other momentum on its own, largely outshining ten days of music by over 250 artists from over 30 countries."
Eishalle will continue to run through Sunday, February 10th. To make the best out of the situation, CTM Festival bought another 40 pair of skates.
Read CTM Festival's full Facebook post below.
