The most ideal person to talk about Horns Up Festival is its very “own man” Chris Tyger. Since, only a few days are remaining til the 3rd edition (May 11 – May 13), lets read to what he shard with Last Day Deaf about this excellent metal festival.
Tell us in brief what’s the history of Horns Up Festival, and how was it conceived?
Hello! Horns Up Festival started in 2016 in the city of Trikala. This year it will take place for the 3rd time.
There had been some ideas way back, but they were brought to life just 3 years ago. The concept was to organize an event which would combine our favourite music with various activities, excursions in the beautiful nearby area of Trikala and good company.
Could you provide us with some basic info about this year’s edition of Horns Up Festival? Why did you choose these bands to be part of the Fest?
This year’ s edition of the festival shall take place on 11th to 13th of May, but this time we added a Warm Up Party on the 10th of May.
The bands have been chosen based mostly on some questionnaires which were completed and submitted by those who attended the festival the previous years. When I first started to draw up the festival, I took into consideration what people had suggested. Thus, the rate among genres was set and I communicated the bands that the friends of the festival had chosen. Even the festival’s side activities were set based on the people’s preferences.
There will be questionnaires this year in order to help us build the next festival. The festival is made in such a way that everyone who comes can have an active role in the creation of the next festival where he can directly bring his suggestions over, which are always taken into consideration. Year after year, people are increasingly involved in this process and I feel that the event has more than 300 friends, who all together run and evolve it.
How easy/difficult is organizing a metal Fest in Trikala?
It is for sure much more difficult to set the fest in Trikala than setting it, for instance, in Athens. The cost is much higher, the possibilities are more restrained and there are much fewer people that live in the area. However, to be honest, I never cared whether it is difficult or not.
The city has a rare atmosphere and whatever difficulties may exist, is a small price compared to how awesome is to have the fest here in our hometown. I am sure that anyone who organizes metal festivals in other small Greek cities would agree that the difficulties they are dealing with are worth the trouble.
Personally speaking, the festival gives the opportunitty for coming back to the city I grew up and get away from everyday life in Athens where I currently live.
Which bands would you like to book within next years for Horns Up and why?
As I said before, the groups for the next festivals will be selected based on the people’s preferences, as long as it is possible to book them. There are so many bands that I would like to see live in Trikala that not even 10 editions of the festival would be enough, haha!
Which festivals have inspired you most regarding Horns Up?
I think that all the festivals I’ve been to have influenced Horns Up Festival. I enjoy going to concerts very much and I attend as many metal festivals as possible. I have kept in my memory all that I’ve seen in the festivals I have been to. So whatever good of it, I’d like to bring it in Horns Up, but it’s the negative things that I bear mostly in mind in order to try to avoid them.
What holds the future of the festival?
The further I see for the future of the festival is the date of this year’s event. I would really love for the festival to keep going on and there are various ideas which I think they are worth to be put into effect, but there’s no point in thinking beyond this year’s fest, as it’s these 3 days of May that will determine whether there will be a follow-up and what this will be.
Let’s be well and I wish that we’ll have the opportunity to organize something even better year after year.
Thank you for your time and your interest in Horns Up Festival!
Christos Doukakis