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Ok, so first off I must iterate the fact that this particular run down is in no particular order, nor is it a definitive list of the best British record labels of all time (as if such a breakdown could ever be truly quantified). It is simply a list of some personal favourites within the British...MORE>>

For the fourth time in a row, Hamburg’s famous Reeperbahn will turn into a party mile. The upcoming Reeperbahn Festival will take place from September 24 to 26. According to it’s slogan New International Music the festival will present up to 170 bands and solo artists from all over the world, part of which will have their first gig ever in Germany. The festival will presumably attract around 17.000 people. Although visitors will certainly face artists they haven’t heard of yet, Reeperbahn Festival also comes up with a number of headliners:

Emiliana Torrini from Iceland, who has led Europeans through summer with her catchy tune Jungle Drum, Germany’s techno-rappers Deichkind, whose stage presence is a general freak out guarantee and UK’s Editors who already entertained thousands of festival visitors all over Europe during the summer of 2009, to name a few.

The idea for clubs to co-operate in order to present a broad variety of rock music in a short period was copied from the South by Southwest festival, which takes place in Texas, USA, as an annual event. The frequency of venues makes the

Reeperbahn, heart of Hamburg’s red light district, the ideal place for an event of that kind, as each stage will only be a few minutes walk from the next.

Furthermore, Reeperbahn Festival offers an interesting framework programme, including an exhibition named Dancing Shoes in which Photographer Gerrit Starczewski will present his images of feet discovered and photographed at various rock concerts. The charity organisation Viva con Agua presents a street-art event as well as the waterwall contest whose winner will transform a large wall into a piece of art during the festival. Visitors of the Reeperbahn Festival are also invited to join a free Beatles Tour at which musician and Beatles expert Stefanie Hempel will be telling anecdotes and singing Beatles songs live in the streets.

Taking all this into account, the Reeperbahn Festival seems to be an event out of the ordinary. Yet you will do extremely well if you show up at your chosen venue in time, as access might be denied in case of overcrowding.

Ticket prices vary between 26 euros for a 1-Day-Pass and 55 euros for a 3-Day-Pass. Printable presale tickets for visitors outside Germany include public transport and are available at www.eventim.de.