The European Festival Awards 2023 are rapidly approaching. In less than a month, the European festival scene will be gathering at de Oosterpoort in Groningen to celebrate and recognize the festival season 2023. All winners in all 13 categories are to be unveiled on January 17th, 2024. The award show will be hosted by Claire O’Neill from A Greener Festival and Gordon Masson from IQ Magazine.

During the award show, we’ll welcome up and coming artists on stage. The first one is Polish pop sensation Berry Galazka, who merges distorted guitars with hard-hitting hip hop durms. She will also be playing ESNS on Thursday at Grand Theatre. Secondly, the limerick folk trio Kingfishr from Ireland will perform live on stage. Their music and lyrics paint beautiful and atmospheric images and continue the rich Irish music history. They’ll also be playing at ESNS on Wednesday at Stadsschouwburg. Finally, British Indie band Picture Parlour will present their eagerly anticipated fusion of stadium rock and melancholic euphoria. Cartwheeling riffs, blues rock bass lines and roaring vocals also nod to classic glam rock. They’ll be playing at ESNS on Wednesday at Huize Maas as well.

2023 Lifetime Achievement Award
The European Festival Awards is proud to announce that this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award will go to Ruud Berends. He is the co-founder and Head of Agenda of IFF in London (GB) and advisor for Westway Lab in Guimaraes (PT), Canadian Music Week in Toronto (CA), and SoAlive Music Conference in Sofia (BG). From 2002 till 2018 Ruud was project manager of the various Dutch Music Export organisations and executive producer of the Dutch Impact Parties for Buma Cultuur. From 2002 to March 2023, he worked for Buma Cultuur & ESNS as Head of Conference, ETEP & CEETEP, international marketing and sales. In this position Ruud Berends was crucial for the networking and interconnection of European artists and promoters alike – especially the European Talent Exchange Programme (ETEP) at Eurosonic was his brainchild.

“Life is full of surprises. I did not know that I was up for an award. I am deeply honoured, humbled and grateful to have won the Lifetime Achievement Award. Especially, as it is at the European Festival Awards, an event close to my heart. It means a lot to get this award from this part of the music industry with many friends and music industry family in the room.” says Ruud Berends.

Congratulations to Ruud Berends and thank you for dedicating your professional life and beyond to connecting artists and the music industry in general!

Tickets for the Award Ceremony, set to take place on January 17th 2024 at de Oosterpoort in Groningen, The Netherlands are already going fast. There are two different ticket options:

PLATINUM TICKETS (€100):
6.00pm – 6.45pm: Welcome Drink & Seating in the Grote Zaal
7.00pm – 8.45pm: Three-course sit down dinner with drinks
9.00pm – 10.45pm: European Festival Awards Ceremony
11.30pm – 2.00am: After show party, Location: TBA

TRIBUNE TICKETS (€25):
A tribune seat at the Award Ceremony (Dinner and drinks excluded)
9.00pm – 10.45pm: European Festival Awards Ceremony
Buy Tickets

Contact
Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@globalpublicity.co.uk