Outdoor music festivals ready to rock again

Modern Sky, one of China's largest indie record companies, has announced the schedule for its 2023 Strawberry Music Festival, which will make its first stop in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, on March 25 and 26.

One of the nation's largest outdoor music events, the festival was launched by Modern Sky in Beijing in 2010. It will be staged in about 10 cities during the first half of this year. In addition to Wuhan, the event will visit Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi province, Chengdu, the Sichuan provincial capital, and Funing, Jiangsu province.

The acts will include pop singer-songwriters Li Ronghao and Su Yunying, who will make their debuts at the festival.

Rock band Second Hand Rose will also feature at the event. The group made its first appearance at an outdoor music event in Sanya, Hainan, on Jan 27, the fifth day of Spring Festival, before flying to Changzhi, Shanxi, to perform at another open-air festival the following day.

Liang Long, the band's lead singer and songwriter, said: "From the warmth of Sanya to freezing Changzhi, we had a hectic schedule at the start of this year. In Changzhi, my hands were too cold to play the guitar. My face was frozen and I felt as though I couldn't open my mouth, but I really enjoyed the shows."

Due to the pandemic, the band was unable to tour for the past three years, but it featured in movies and television reality shows, unexpectedly winning new fans.

On Dec 31, 2021, the group released a new album and announced a tour schedule for 2022, but all stops on the tour had to be canceled because of the pandemic. Many bands experienced the same problem, which was frustrating, Liang said.

"We will refocus on our music by performing at outdoor festivals, on tours and by working on new songs this year. Lots of exciting things will be happening at the same time," Liang said, adding that the band has a packed schedule for the first half of this year.

Attending outdoor music festivals is popular among numerous people in China, especially the younger generation. Such events are not just for rock fans — they also enable families and friends to have fun together.

The 2019 Tencent Entertainment White Paper, an annual report by Tencent Music Entertainment Group, stated that 257 outdoor music festivals were held nationwide that year. In both 2017 and 2018, more than 260 such events were staged across the country.

With event organizers increasingly bringing outdoor music festivals to more second- and third-tier cities, the events are key to promoting local tourism.