For Den Atelier, 2024 will bring 140 events, including 25 at the Rockhal and 11 open-air concerts and festivals. The likes of St. Vincent, Ghinzu, Dogstar, The Smashing Pumpkins & Interpol, Air, L’impératrice and Purple Disco Machine are on the programme, an eclectic list that--despite the venue’s size constraint--tries to meet cosmopolitan and international standards.
Besides concerts, Den Atelier also hosts shows for children and the whole family. In the past, these have included the Rocky Horror Show, Harry Potter and Dirty Dancing. This year there will be a heavy metal concert for children and the musical Les Misérables. “These shows are very popular and the venues are always packed,” says Jette Kaiser, head of communications and marketing.
“In 2025, we are delighted to welcome the musical Mamma Mia!',” she adds. The musical has had some 70m spectators globally over 25 years of touring. It features 30 performers and, of course, 22 Abba songs. Five performances are scheduled between 7 and 9 March 2025 at the Rockhal. It is sure to be one of next year’s highlights.
Diversification
Another branch that has been increasingly developed recently is stand-up comedy. This year, it’s Marie s’Infilttre and Alison Wheeler (both French-speaking acts) who are on the bill. “This type of show meets a demand from our audience,” says , managing partner of A-promotions, the company that runs Den Atelier. “Our aim is to offer a broad programme, but always of high quality. We also diversify according to the different opportunities that come our way. That’s how we grow.”
Attendance at events is high, says Welter, higher than before the covid-19 pandemic: “We’re certainly going to exceed 200,000 tickets sold in 2024,” he says, “even though we don’t have any big headliners like Robbie Williams last year.”
From a financial point of view, the pandemic also seems to be over. “The arrival of state aid, admittedly a little late, has--let’s face it--helped us a lot,” Welter says. “But the dark period is behind us and we’re back on our feet again. One of my aims is also to ensure stable and regular income for our structure. That’s why we’ve developed new services, such as commission bookings, or programming on behalf of third parties. We do this for the Wiltz Festival with the Birdy concert, for example, or for the Bertrange municipality with Absolut Bartreng. This allows us to stabilise our financial flows and look forward to our development with greater peace of mind.”
Speaking of development, the team aims to expand its numbers from nine to eleven this year. “Before that, though, we’re going to finalise the 2024 programme--which is 90% complete--and work on the 2025 programme, for which we’re very excited.”
This article in Paperjam. It has been translated and edited for Delano.