Author/Photos: Verena Nowatzky

From October 7 to 9, after a long wait, it was time again: the legendary Campus Open Air transformed the campus of Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences into a festival site for a weekend. The COA is a voluntary event organized by students at our university in cooperation with Second Attempt e.V. Last year, our well-known enemy, who has significantly affected and changed our lives since March 2020, was responsible for canceling the event. There was no way it was going to happen again this year! After the date had initially been set for June 2021, it was finally postponed to October in view of the uncertain situation, just in time for the start of the winter semester.

COA in the fall - a whole new experience! And even if instead of airy dresses, Hawaiian shirts and flowers in the hair, a scarf, hat and three thick sweaters had to serve as a festival outfit, the Campus Open Air was a mega event. To mark the twentieth anniversary, there was even a third festival day instead of the usual two. On Thursday evening, the COA opened with a free open-stage culture stage. Everyone who wanted to was there to show off their talent. Numerous musicians, singers and poets presented themselves under the large copper beech tree, the focal point of the campus. This year's COA got off to a unique start in a dreamlike atmosphere under the red-lit tree and with romantic fairy lights. The impressive degree of this first evening was provided by Luceur with his typewriter. Within a few minutes, he typed highly imaginative and hilarious poems from completely incoherent words spontaneously called out by the audience. Poetry using the terms "Schienenersatzverkehr", "Lederhosen" and "Seechen" (a diminutive of "See") is probably an art in itself.

The punk rock band Beyond Memories opened the first official day of the festival in front of a relatively small audience, but that didn't stop the guys from giving it their all. The university grounds slowly filled up. Singer-songwriter Nico Laska thrilled the audience with soulful acoustic sounds and the brilliant fire show helped to ward off the creeping autumn chill. The next band also ensured that everyone quickly warmed up again. Chipai from Hamburg heated things up with Spanish salsa sounds, upbeat ska beats, a surprisingly groovy harp and an energetic lead singer. It suddenly didn't matter that it was October and not June. Everyone swung their hips and for an hour the university parking lot became a Mediterranean playa.

Shortly before half past ten, everyone was eagerly awaiting the headliner Blackout Problems. A short summary: The charismatic lead singer in a leo jacket opened the concert in the enthusiastic crowd, COA organizer Gabriel put on a stage dive and the mosh pit went wild. A truly successful performance! While Blackout Problems went full throttle, my bar shift began. I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to everyone who enjoyed my sometimes daring mixed drinks - I hope you're all good!

The first day of the festival ended with the assembly hall and canteen becoming dance floors and four different DJs playing. We went home with aching feet, exhausted, but with a smile on our faces and full of anticipation for the next day.

Saturday began with various activities such as a clothes swap, where I was finally able to clear out some of my old clothes. The girls also showed that this sport really has what it takes at the pole dance show.

The musical opening act for the afternoon was singer-songwriter Kornelius, closely followed by the rock'n'roll sounds of the Dirty Blondes from the Czech capital. The contrasting program at the COA was really wild, because the next group Rabajah from Berlin definitely cannot be pigeonholed with their colourful mix of very different styles. Towards the end of the evening, the young rapper Rote Mütze Raphi did the honors. Unfortunately, her performance could not take place for technical reasons. However, she did animate the audience with a few interludes from the DJs she had brought along. When the main act LGoony brought the day to its crowning degree and the entire COA took to the stage, the mood in the crowd was exuberant. I would like to dedicate a personal shout-out to the mulled wine stand, which sweetened my evening in the truest sense of the word.

I had a great time at the COA. I asked project coordinator Gabriel how he perceived the festival this year and what hurdles there were in the planning and implementation. Corona in particular made a lot of things much more difficult, he reports. In addition to recruiting bands, stand operators, technical staff, etc., the team of just eight had to constantly keep an eye on the infection figures and the current hygiene regulations. As a result, COVID-19 also meant that the actual Saturday headliner BLOND had to cancel due to a band member testing positive. Two days before the start of the festival, the organizing team was faced with the challenge of finding a new main act.

"[...] All in all, the pandemic has made everything a lot more difficult, but we've done a great job for what we can do and I'm very proud of my team," says Gabriel. However, he is not satisfied, as attendance figures were significantly lower than in previous years and funding was tight. He would therefore like to see some changes for the next Campus Open Air. Above all, the organizing team needs lots of motivated students who want to get a taste of event management (listen, listen KuMas and Touris!) and put on an unforgettable festival. The first information evening took place on October 26.

The planning for COA 2022 is in the starting blocks and to make it a complete success, we need YOUR active support!

Check out the official COA website. If you have any further questions, please contact us at info(at)campusopenair.com or on Instagram @campusopenairgoerlitz.