Summertime means sunny days, cool, breezy nights, and music festivals. And no festival puts a closing touch to the season better than the Lilla By Festivalen in beautiful Rinkaby, Sweden.
Held annually in the last week of August, it’s a unique event in so many ways. The Lilla By Festivalen translates in English to Little Village Festival, and though technically it’s in its third year, in reality, this year was the second year of ‘in-person’ activities as the first year was held virtually due to Covid restrictions.
What makes this event unique is that it's multi-layered. First is its physical location; Rinkaby is a small village, about a 15-minute drive from the city of Kristianstad, and has a population of about 800 people. It’s situated on private property with lots of green grass and a spectacular view of the sun setting over the lake at day’s end, before the night concerts begin.
What sets it apart from other festivals is it’s got something for everyone. A family friendly environment with rides and activities for the kids and a wide variety of genres of music for all ages, both legendary and new indie artists.
This year’s festival had a special Sweden/Canada connection that created an unmistakable buzz throughout the community. Three Canadians were invited to take part in the festivities; yours truly, Don Graham, Barry Stagg and Lisa Hartt. Lisa brought the magic to the mix with her history with late Swedish superstar Ted Gardestad. Years earlier, Lisa had performed on a TV show special aired both in Stockholm and Toronto with the revered singer/songwriter and when the creators of Lilla By Festivalen got wind of the video that existed it started a chain of events that was magical. The festival suddenly drew the attention of Swedish rock stars and icons. Rock guitar legend Janne Schaffer who had played behind Ted Gardestad and engineer/producer Lennart Ostlund who had been instrumental in Gardestad's recording career during his own remarkable career at Abba’s Polar Studios.
This brought together a musical offering of people who were excited to be a part of the festivities, talking about their history to a captive audience and performing on stage with Lisa Hartt as well as their own performances of Janne Schaffer as well as Lennart Ostlund’s new project band, West of Mars.
Although it is technically a small festival everything about is done on a top-notch scale. Everything about it is produced in Class A fashion. From the two big stages with amazing lighting, incredible sound and comfortable backstage areas it is done with the needs of the artists and the audiences in mind and creates a memorable experience for both.
This year an added feature was "The Barn", a structure on the property built in 1911 that has been converted into an intimate entertainment venue with two small stages, one for performing and a separate stage for panel discussion presentations.
The talent was wide-ranging, something for every age group and musical taste. There were groups like West Of Mars, Malin Osth Jazz Band, MISU, And The Broken, I Want Poetry, Carry A Stone, Bara Jonson and Free. Dan Hylander and Janne Bark Band, and more. And solo acts Marta and guitar whiz, Amarillo, Texas's own Rodney Branigan.
So much to do and see and like a well-oiled machine there was a smooth transition from performer to performer, maximizing the two-stage format. They were close together so when one band ended the next one was set to begin.
And for the kids, there were rides, treats and even a Klondike booth where they could pan for gold.
Hats off to Malin Osth and Jonas Tancred for creating, organizing and executing one of the best festivals I've been fortunate enough to be included in. Can't wait for next year and many years to follow.
Their mission statement was accomplished.
"We have a sincere aim to guide, educate and support local, national and international artists on the way forward and upwards in their music career."
Save the date for next year’s Lilla By Festivalen. Make it a holiday excursion to Sweden that takes you to Rinkaby next August 23 and 24, 2024.
