Splash! is one of Europe's biggest

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

s. It first took place in 1998, in the inner city of

Chemnitz Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt (); ; ) is the third-largest city in the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden, and the fourth-largest city in the area of former East Germany after (East Be ...

, Germany. The next year, the location of the festival changed to the Oberrabenstein reservoir near the city, where it remained through 2006. In 2007 and 2008, the festival was held on the Pouch peninsula in

Bitterfeld Bitterfeld () is a town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 July 2007 it has been part of the town of Bitterfeld-Wolfen. It is situated approximately 25 km south of Dessau, and 30 km northeast of Hall ...

. In 2009, the festival moved to the Ferropolis in

Gräfenhainichen Gräfenhainichen () is a town in Wittenberg district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Geography The town was the seat of the offices of the administrative community (''Verwaltungsgemeinschaft'') of Tor zur Dübener Heide until it was disbanded in Jan ...

, which remains the official site. In the early years, there were two stages; one each for hip-hop and reggae. In 2006, the festival extended to six stages and four party tents. In addition to hip-hop and

drum and bass Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated as DnB, D&B, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast Break (music)#Breakbeat (element of music), breakbeats (typically 165–185 Tempo, beats per minute) with heavy Bass (music) ...

DJs, the tents also house

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...

and

sound system Sound system may refer to: Technology media * Sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience * High fidelity, a sound system intended for accurate reproduction of music in the home * Public address system, an institution ...

s, a

graffiti Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...

contest and ITF matches. The name "Splash" hints at both the waterside location, and the phrase "to make a splash".

History

* 1998: The first Splash! was held, not as an open-air festival as originally planned, but in a former powerhouse in the inner city of Chemnitz. It was relatively small (and could be more accurately described as a jam) and counted only 1,300 visitors and six performers, among who were Afrob and KC da Rookee. *1999 & 2000: Being held hillside on the Oberrabenstein reservoir, the 1999 festival attracted 13,000 fans, and in 2000, the festival had 20,000 visitors. * 2001: More than 30,000 tickets were sold in 2001, and the organizer limited the quantity of tickets for sale to 25,000 for the next few years, in order to stay true to the basic idea of the festival—party in a relaxing atmosphere and a high-quality lineup. * 2005 & 2006: Heavy rain led to declining visitor numbers, causing severe financial losses. * 2007: Donations helped to balance the losses of about 70% of 2006, and the festival organisation announced on 11 January 2007 that the festival will take place, not in Chemnitz but on the Pouch peninsula in Bitterfeld. *2008: Again hosted on the Pouch peninsula, performing acts for the 2008 festival included

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

Ice Cube O'Shea Jackson Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1989 album '' Straight Outta Compton'' contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popu ...

, and

Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

. *2020: The Splash! Festival was canceled due to the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic. *The 23rd Splash! Festival is scheduled for 8–10 July and 15-17 July 2021. In July 2020, it was announced headlining acts would include

ASAP Rocky Rakim Athelaston Mayers (born October 3, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Rocky ( ; stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a member of the hip hop music, hip hop coll ...

, ASAP Ferg, and Haftbefehl.

Financial crisis

The meeting of creditors in the insolvency proceedings was held on 9 January 2007. According to a Chemnitz newspaper, the debt amounted to over €500,000. The Splash! Entertainment AG asked for public help to be able to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the festival, an account for donations was opened additionally to a charity concert that had already taken place in November 2006, altogether reaching €325,000. After obtaining €350,000 through donations from both fans and artists like

Jan Delay Jan Phillip Eißfeldt (born 25 August 1976), known professionally as Jan Delay, is a German rapper and singer whose stylistic range includes mainly hip hop, reggae, dub and funk. An accomplished solo artist, he became known to the public as ...

, Samy Deluxe or the Dresden Philharmonic orchestra, the organizers announced that the festival would be held, and also informed the public about the new location.

References

External links

Official website
{{coord, 50, 50, 13, N, 12, 48, 51, E, display=title, region:DE-SN_type:landmark_source:dewiki Events in Saxony-Anhalt Reggae festivals Summer festivals Hip-hop music festivals Recurring events established in 1998 Electronic music festivals in Germany Music festivals in Europe