Irie Irie; Bigup! 5 years of Reggae Rotterdam Festival, Saturday 29 July at Ahoy Rotterdam.
It was our busiest weekend of 2023, and this year it fell on the same weekend as the big Rotterdam Unlimited Zomercarnaval (summer carnival). For the 2nd year running, we handled the full technical production for Reggae Rotterdam Festival. After earlier editions outdoors, the festival moved inside to Ahoy this year, which made it a cosy, sociable happening. The Green Stage in the Sportpaleis Arena, the Yellow Dancehall Stage in RTM, the Red Stage One Love in Hall 4 and of course the well-known food area with its food trucks and BBQs! Were you there too?
Artists such as Miss Lauryn Hill, Julian Marley & The Wailers, Sean Paul, Stefflon Don, Beenieman, Eek-A-Mouse, Dj Moortje & Friends, Tarrus Riley, Big Montiun, Don Carlos & GEO, Trafassi, Anthony B, Mad Professor and many, many more!
Were you there when Sean Paul and his live band played those unforgettable songs in RTM?
And did you get goosebumps when Julian Marley & The Wailers and 15,000 people in the Sportpaleis Arena sang “Don’t Worry about a thing” at the top of their lungs? We certainly did!
Miss Lauryn Hill was a very special headliner at RRF2023. She took a lot of time, technical research included, and gave us the odd grey hair. The reward was big: she gave a beautiful performance with her 35 musicians on stage. It was an honour for us to handle the complete technical production at Ahoy for 25,000 people, together with a large team of technicians and several suppliers from our network.
Miss Lauryn Hill
At Miss Lauryn Hill’s request, we supplied 2 DiGiCo Quantum SD7 digital mixing desks and the latest DiGiCo Quantum 338 digital mixing desk, with special DiGiCo SD racks on a fibre-optic network, together with the latest Shure Axient wireless mics and Shure PSM1000 in-ears. Then add the many stage risers, floor monitors and microphones, more than 75 moving heads, 2 complete Adamson E15 line arrays with E119 and E219 subs in the Sportpaleis Arena & RTM, an FBT Horizon line array in the One Love area, 72 m2 of LED screens in the Sportpaleis Arena & RTM, lots of metres of truss, chain hoists with their long chains and many kilometres of cable for the whole event.
Getting to a good technical festival rider for every stage is always a puzzle in pre-production. Every artist has their own preferences, the festival organiser has a maximum budget, and all the equipment has to be available on that date too. Did you know that at Reggae Rotterdam Festival we had 2 DiGiCo Quantum SD7s, the latest DiGiCo Quantum 338, 3 DiGiCo SD10s, 2 DiGiCo SD9s, 1 DiGiCo SD12, 1 Allen & Heath Avantis and 1 Allen & Heath SQ6 digital mixing desks running the productions in the 3 halls?
On to RRF2024! Preparations have already started.
Frequently asked questions
Who handled the technical production for Reggae Rotterdam Festival 2023?
We did. For the 2nd year running, we handled the full technical production, this time indoors at Ahoy Rotterdam on 29 July 2023, for 25,000 people.
Which stages were there at Reggae Rotterdam Festival 2023?
There were 3: the Green Stage in the Sportpaleis Arena, the Yellow Dancehall Stage in RTM and the Red Stage One Love in Hall 4. There was also a food area with food trucks and BBQs.
Which mixing desks did you use at Reggae Rotterdam Festival?
Across the 3 halls we ran 2 DiGiCo Quantum SD7s, a DiGiCo Quantum 338, 3 DiGiCo SD10s, 2 SD9s, an SD12, an Allen & Heath Avantis and an Allen & Heath SQ6.
What is a technical festival rider?
It’s the list of technical requirements for each stage, such as mixing desks, microphones, monitors and lighting. We put it together in pre-production by balancing each artist’s preferences, the organiser’s budget and the equipment available on the date.
Can you supply the equipment an artist asks for in their rider?
Yes, as long as it fits the budget and is available on the date. For Miss Lauryn Hill we supplied DiGiCo Quantum desks on a fibre-optic network, Shure Axient wireless mics and Shure PSM1000 in-ears at her request.