Outdoor music festivals ready to rock again

Auditorium filled

In 2000, the first Midi Music Festival was held at the Midi Music School in Beijing, China's first contemporary music school, which was founded in 1993. Although the bands appearing at the event were relatively unknown, their performances on the first two days of May 2000 attracted about 2,000 fans, who filled the 500-seat auditorium and spilled out into public areas outside.

The festival has since been staged more than 40 times. Venues include Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Jiangsu province, Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, and Shenzhen, Guangdong province. The event has propelled many bands to fame, and nearly all the country's rock stars have performed at it, including musician Cui Jian and Tang Dynasty, one of the nation's first heavy metal bands.

Shan said tickets sold fast after the Haikou festival was announced. The event will include a night devoted to Miserable Faith, one of China's most popular rock bands, whose members mostly graduated from the Midi Music School, including lead vocalist and songwriter Gao Hu, who graduated from the school in 1997 and founded the band two years later.

"At a Midi Music Festival, fans enjoy the diversity of music. We have helped rock stars establish themselves, and more important, we have introduced new bands," Shan added.

In 2021, Miserable Faith announced The Artists' Support Project, a plan to support independent musicians who took a financial hit from COVID-19. The band staged live performances during the pandemic, donating 50 percent of its earnings to support indie musicians, especially new bands.

On March 17, Miserable Faith and three bands from The Artists' Support Project will open the festival in Haikou.

Shan said more new bands from the Midi Music School will make their debuts at the festival in the following two days. "The festival acts as a graduation ceremony for these new bands — it's like a tradition for us," he added.

The festival venue, Evergreen Park, is also a big attraction for audiences, as it is one of the largest parks in Haikou, located in the city center.

"It's such a pleasant experience to go to an outdoor music festival with families and friends to enjoy music in the open air," Shan said. He added that in addition to Haikou, it is planned to stage the festival in more cities this year, including Beijing, Shanghai and Yantai, Shandong province.