Splash! (festival)
The Splash! Festival is one of Europe's biggest hip hop and reggae festivals. It used to take place at the Oberrabenstein reservoir near Chemnitz, Germany until 2006. In 2007 and 2008 the festival was held on the Pouch peninsula in Bitterfeld, Saxony-Anhalt. Since 2009 the Ferropolis in Gräfenhainichen is the ground for the Splash! festival.
The first Splash! took place in 1998 in the inner city of Chemnitz, in a former powerhouse. From 1999 on, it was hillside the Oberrabenstein reservoir.
In the early years there were two stages, one for hip hop, and one for reggae. In 2006, the festival had extended to six stages and four party tents. The hip hop stage is adjacent to the reservoir, visitors can see the concerts while bathing. The tents house, amongst hip hop and drum and bass DJs, dancehall and reggae sound systems, a graffiti contest and ITF matches.
The name "Splash" hints at the waterside location of the festival and the phrase "to make a splash".
History
1998 - The first Splash! took place in 1998, but not as planned as an open air festival, but in the inner city of Chemnitz in a former powerhouse. 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.
