Be2gether or B2G was the largest annual music and arts festival in
Baltic countries
The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone ...
. Established in 2007, it took place in
Norviliškės,
Lithuania, just a few meters from the border with
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
. In 2007, attendance was estimated at around 7,000–8,000 people,
[ with an increase to 12,000 in 2008.][
]
Background
Be2gether was created with the slogan ''"Music Opens Borders''", to emphasise the importance of connection despite any differences in culture, nationality, age or social position. To underscore this goal, the festival is held in the so-called Dieveniškės
Dieveniškės (in Lithuanian literally: ''Place of gods''; pl, Dziewieniszki; be, Дзевянішкі ''Dzevyanishki'') is a town in the Vilnius County of Lithuania, about from the Belarusian border in the so-called Dieveniškės appendix. I ...
panhandle: Lithuanian territory surrounded by Belarus on three sides. The area is remote and is difficult to reach,[ due to Lithuania being a member of the ]European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
and Belarus not. In 2008, efforts were made to ensure that Belarusians could receive the needed visas without a fee if they traveled to the festival.[ Due to the festival's proximity to the state border, additional security measures have to be undertaken to prevent people from inadvertently crossing the border.][ The festival is situated in the historic ]Vilnius Region
Vilnius Region is the territory in present-day Lithuania and Belarus that was originally inhabited by ethnic Baltic tribes and was a part of Lithuania proper, but came under East Slavic and Polish cultural influences over time.
The territor ...
, inhabited by peoples of Lithuanian, Polish, Belarusian, Russian nationalities. The Renaissance Norviliškės Castle reminds the visitors of shared history under the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...
.[
Many different genres make appearances at the Be2gether festival, including ]rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
, electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
, world
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
and alternative
Alternative or alternate may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki''
* ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film
* ''The Alternative ...
music. The festival invites mostly international bands. In addition to musical performances, the festival offers other activities, including craft studios, open air cinema, sport games, music and dance lessons, and a sculpture park. Children are offered daycare alongside their own activities. [
]
2007
The first festival was supported by two large scenes and club tent. Part of the money gained from tickets selling was donated to children from Chachersk
Chachersk ( be, Чачэрск, , russian: Чечерск, pl, Czeczersk) is a city in the Gomel Region of Belarus, an administrative center of the Chachersk District. It is located in an area which was highly contaminated due to the fallout of t ...
, injured by the nuclear disaster
A nuclear and radiation accident is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as "an event that has led to significant consequences to people, the environment or the facility. Examples include lethal effects to individuals, lar ...
at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP; ; ), is a nuclear power plant undergoing decommissioning. ChNPP is located near the abandoned city of Pripyat in northern Ukraine northwest of the city of Chernobyl, from the Belarus–Ukraine borde ...
. A DVD of the first festival was distributed with tickets for Be2gether in 2008. The festival boasted performances by 32 artists,[ including:
]
2008
On August 14, Be2gether 2008 started in Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
, with a rally to support Georgia in 2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 Russo-Georgian WarThe war is known by a variety of other names, including Five-Day War, August War and Russian invasion of Georgia. was a war between Georgia, on one side, and Russia and the Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics of Sou ...
.[ The festival then moved to Norviliškės Castle grounds ready for main performances on August 15][ and 16.][, with the festival concluding on August 17. Around 70 performers took part in the festival,][ including:
]
2009
The third festival Be2gether was held on June 12–14, 2009. Be2gether 2009 included such bands as:
2010
The fourth festival was held on June 25–27, 2010. Be2gether announced that performing bands will include:
*Australian electronic music duo Empire of The Sun
''Empire of the Sun'' is a 1984 novel by English writer J. G. Ballard; it was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Like Ballard's earlier short story "The Dead Time" (published in the anthology ...
*British rock band Skunk Anansie
Skunk Anansie are a British rock band whose members include Skin (lead vocals, guitar), Cass (bass, guitar, backing vocals), Ace (guitar, backing vocals) and Mark Richardson (drums and percussion).
Skunk Anansie formed in 1994, disbanded in 2 ...
*Danish electronic rock trio WhoMadeWho
WhoMadeWho is a Copenhagen-based experimental pop trio, who formed in 2003. The band consists of jazz guitarist Jeppe Kjellberg, drummer Tomas Barfod and singer/bassist Tomas Høffding.
Career
The band released several 12-inches on German di ...
*Norwegian synthpop group Casiokids
Casiokids are a Norwegian synthpop ensemble from Bergen, and Stavanger formed in 2005. The band consists of Ketil Kinden Endresen, Fredrik Øgreid Vogsborg, Omar Johnsen and Kjetil Bjøreid Aabø. Associated musicians are Joachim Amundsen Trana, ...
*Ukrainian folk group Haydamaky
*Austrian beatboxing group Bauchklang
*English rapper Roots Manuva
Rodney Hylton Smith, better known by his stage name Roots Manuva (born 9 September 1972), is a British rapper and producer. Since his debut in 1994, he has produced numerous albums and singles on the label Big Dada, achieving commercial succ ...
*Anglo-Spanish electronic band Crystal Fighters
Crystal Fighters are an English-Spanish electronic music band, formed in 2007, in London, England, and in Navarre, Spain. Their debut album, '' Star of Love'', was released in October 2010 in the UK and was released in the US through Atlantic R ...
* Belarusian indie pop group Open Space
Bans
Buses with festival guests in 2008 were held up on the Belarusian side.
References
External links
Official websiteEnglish version
Official MySpacePro MySpace
{{coord, 54, 14, 5, N, 25, 46, 55, E, region:LT_type:event, display=title
Music festivals in Lithuania
2007 establishments in Lithuania
Tourist attractions in Vilnius County
Annual events in Lithuania
Šalčininkai
Electronic music festivals in Lithuania
Folk festivals in Lithuania
Rock festivals in Lithuania
Music festivals established in 2007
Summer events in Lithuania
Censorship in Belarus