Positivus Festival
Positivus Festival is an annual, three-day summer music and culture festival that was held in Salacgrīva, Latvia from 2007 to 2019. After two cancelled editions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival moved to the capital city of Riga from 2022.[1]
First held in 2007, Positivus combines a variety of genres, including indie, pop, folk, electronic and more styles in between. The festival is organized by Positivus Music. The festival always takes place during an extended weekend — from Thursday afternoon until Sunday morning of the third week of July. Positivus Festival is the largest music and arts festival in the Baltic States that takes place every year in the middle of July. Every year Positivus Festival is becoming more and more popular in Europe. It is a festival with international chart toppers and underground emerging talent set in an idyllic holiday location. Positivus Festival has been awarded the title "Best European Festival" and is mentioned in many shortlists as one of the top music festivals to visit in Europe.
Positivus festival has a vibe of Bohemian, friends, and family-oriented sort which weighs over the loud party vibe more common at music festivals. Positivus attendance has been around 30000 people for the last few years.
Over the years there have been up to six live stages featuring around 60–70 artists every year on average, most notably including Pixies, Alt-J, Ellie Goulding (multiple years), The Lumineers, Hot Chip, John Newman, Placebo, M83, Air, Iggy Pop, Tom Odell (multiple years), Elbow, Daughter, Kraftwerk, Bastille, The Kooks, Sigur Rós, Imagine Dragons, The XX, Hurts, OK Go, Muse and many others. The festival line-up usually consists of a number of chart topping artists as well as new and exciting performers from all over the world, with Latvian and Estonian artists having a strong presence. At its Salacgriva location, the festival took place only 12 km from the Estonian-Latvian border and therefore saw a strong attendance of Estonian visitors, musicians, caterers, and marketers as well as festival personnel, rendering Positivus an unofficial yearly meeting of the two neighbour countries. Estonians called it "Estonia's biggest music festival in Latvia".
Landscape
From 2007 through 2019, Positivus was held in the Latvian coastal town of Salacgrīva located between the A1 Via Baltica highway and the beach of the Riga Bay. The festival offered access to meadows, forests, the beach, as well as the local town of Salacgrīva.
Camping
From 2007 through 2019, the festival camping site was located on the other side of the A1 Via Baltica road, directly across from the festival venue, and it was sponsored by Merrild Coffee, which provided complementary coffee refills for campers during the entire festival. The camping grounds also had catering services. The car parking was located within a short distance from the camping site. As of 2016, there was a separated area for caravans and trailer houses.
Positivus Festival 2023
The 2023 festival was held on July 14 and 15 in Lucavsala Park, Riga, Latvia. It was headlined by Sam Smith and Metro Boomin.[2]
| LMT Stage | Lāčplēsis Stage | Evolution Stage |
|---|---|---|
| July 14, 2023 | ||
|
| |
| July 15, 2023 | ||
|
| |
Positivus Festival 2022
The 2022 festival was held for the first time in Lucavsala Park in the capital city of Riga on July 15 and 16.[3][4] It was headlined by ASAP Rocky, Megan Thee Stallion, and Jamie xx.[5]
| LMT Stage | Lāčplēsis Stage | Narvesen Stage |
|---|---|---|
| July 15, 2022 | ||
|
| |
| July 16, 2022 | ||
|
| |
Positivus Festival 2020
The festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Positivus Festival 2019
The festival took place on July 26–27, 2019.[6][7]
Line-up
| Main stage | Lāčplēsis stage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, July 26 | |||
| July 27 | |||
Positivus Festival 2018
The festival took place on July 20–22, 2018.
Line-up
| Main stage | Other stage | Piena svētki stage | Arts And Nature Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, July 20 | |||
|
|
| |
| Saturday, July 21 | |||
|
|
| |
| Sunday, July 22 | |||
|
|
| ||
Positivus Festival 2017
The festival took place on July 14–16, 2017.
Line-up
| Lattelecom Stage | Nordea Stage | Electric Room Stage | Palladium Stage | Arts And Nature Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 14 | ||||
|
|
|
| |
| July 15 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
| July 16 | ||||
|
|
|
| |
Positivus festival 2016
The festival took place on July 15–17, 2016.
Line-up
| Lattelecom stage | Nordea stage | Palladium stage | I Love You stage | Red Bull Music Academy stage | Arts and Nature stage | |
| July 15 | ||||||
| San Fermin Years & Years Hot Chip Ellie Goulding |
Rīgas Modes Sofi Tukker Ho99o9 Arthur Beatrice Minor Victories Richard Hawley Mark Ronson |
Grässhopas Estrada Orchestra Milk Singapūras Satīns Laika Suns 20syl & Mr. J. Medeiros present AllttA Mielavs un Pārcēlāji |
Kristaps Bedrītis The Boondocks Chomsky Chess Club Tehnikums The Pink Elephant NOËP JoyCut DJ Kārlis Dagilis |
MakeMake Mr. Nestor Avoid Dave Chloe Martini Kashuks DJ Craze DJ Slow Two |
Kikit ImproZoo Elizabeta Lāce Ezeri Starmetis 7Synths | |
| July 16 | ||||||
| Baio Joss Stone Latvian Radio Big Band & Ralfs Eilands John Newman M83 |
Super Besse Alise Joste Dzelzs Vilks C Duncan Seinabo Sey Mercury Rev |
Ouu I Wear* Experiment Bandmaster Postaal Liima Satellites LV Skyforger Ozols |
Mionia Kasetes Blue House Howling Owl Irving Ark Židrūns Pienvedēja Piedzīvojumi DJ Pēteris Bajārs |
Smthing Smthing Mario Moretti NiklāvZ Dave Storm & Stee Downes Fingalick & Vaiper Mike Skinner & MURKAGE present TONGA Branko Cartoon MHKL & Quest |
I-DEJAS MĀJA morning workout Prieka Ministrija Art-i-šok Comedy Latvia Riga Improvisation Theatre Anneli Arro Vladislavs Nastavševs Coals Colin Johnco Northern C MMMM Gas Of Latvia Tonik Ensemble Indriķis Ģelzis | |
| July 17 | ||||||
| Carnival Youth Hælos Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires Wolf Alice Air Iggy Pop |
Choir of Young Believers The Japanese House The Very Best Oh Wonder Grimes |
Frankie Animal Lexsoul Dancemachine Kali Briis Band Daddy Was A Milkman Cigarettes After Sex Reiks DaGamba |
THE ROOP Kashuks Markas Palubenka Brothers Water Erki Pärnoja: Himmelbjerget |
Kaminsky Alaska KAMP! Sander Mölder |
I-DEJAS MĀJA morning workout Comedy Estonia Orbīta - Slow Show FM Reinis Jaunais Levīti HANA Anna Pluto Regīna Sūdi | |
Positivus festival 2015
The event took place on July 17–19, 2015.
Line-up
| Lattelecom stage | Nordea stage | Palladium stage | I Love You stage | Red Bull Music academy | Dabas stage |
| July 17 | |||||
| Eugene "Hideaway" Bridges & Coolmans Report Everything Everything Jungle Tom Odell Placebo |
DJ Ai-Va Without Letters Dorian Concept Trio Break Da Funk Camo & Krooked DJ Sliink DJ Quest & Paul Oja |
||||
| July 18 | |||||
| Dagamba+Sinfonietta Rīga+Juventus King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Ewert and the Two Dragons Warpaint Kasabian |
Mr. Nestor Niklāvz Formacja Avoid Dave Dave Storm Egyptian Lover Breach Grind Live |
||||
| July 19 | |||||
| Basement Jaxx St. Vincent Fenech-Soler Robert Plant & the Sensational Space Shifters |
Elliphant |
Münzpauzn Bandmaster Mr. Krime Smthing Smthing |
|||
Positivus festival 2014
The event took place on July 18–20, 2014.
Line-up
Positivus festival 2013
In 2013 for the first time ever the festival lasted for three days, taking place on July 19–21, 2013.
Line-up
Positivus festival 2012
The event took place on 20 and 21 July 2012.
Line-up
Positivus festival 2011
The event took place on 15 and 16 July 2011.
Line-up
Positivus festival 2010
The festival was held on 16 and 17 July 2010.
Line-up
Positivus festival 2009
The festival was held on 17 and 18 July 2009.
Line-up
PositivusAB 2008
The festival was held from 18 to 19 July 2008. It was attended by approximately 18,000 people.
Stages
- AB Stage – where all 4 headliners as well as others performed
- TELE2 Stage – where the majority of the bands performed
- Shark dance tent – was open during the night
- Mamma Daba Kušš Tuss tent – a minor stage featuring musical, literary and theatrical performances
Line-up
Line-up
|
18 July
|
19 July |
PositivusAB 2007
It was the first PositivusAB festival. The festival was held from 27 to 28 July 2007.
Line-up
References
- ^ "Positivus Festival headliner announced - A$AP Rocky". Best of Baltic Entertainment Ltd.
- ^ "Metro Boomin, Sam Smith, new stages, comedians – "Positivus" publishes the full festival program". Baltics News. July 3, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ "Live Report: Positivus Festival 2022". Clash. July 26, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ "Positivus Festival Moves To New Location In Riga with A$AP Rocky, Megan Thee Stallion, Jamie xx, and many more". Raver. April 13, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Andy (July 5, 2022). "Positivus Festival returns with A$AP Rocky, Megan Thee Stallion, Jamie XX, Caribou and More". Ultimate Festival Guide. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ eng.lsm.lv; Leitholde, Aiga; LSM autore (26 June 2019). "July is festival month in Latvia!". eng.lsm.lv. Latvian Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
- ^ Brikmane, Zane (26 July 2019). "Sācies 13. "Positivus" festivāls". LSM.lv (in Latvian). Latvian Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
