Now Bråvalla festival 2013 is over. We have seen lots of good concerts, everything from Hoffmaestro and Green Day to Thåström and Armin van Buuren. Above all, we have had great fun. It has been sunny and muddy and a constant party for several days.
Table of contents
First day of the festival
We arrived at the start of the queue for the Bråvalla festival at half past ten the night before the festival started. At three in the morning we had to roll in and stand. The organisation at the entrance was deplorable. We heard rumours that there was a queue on the E4 motorway and that the campsites were full.
The campsite we are standing on now seems to be some new spot they invented last night. But eventually we woke up to the first day of the Bråvalla festival! The young people poured in in rubber boots, dragging sleeping bags and beer bottles. Time for festival!!!
When the festival opened, it was time to look around the area. A whole bunch of big stages, carnivals, bars, shops, food stalls ...
Sun and festival food at Bråvalla
The sun continued to shine and we enjoyed the weather at the campsite, where we could listen to Hoffmaestro on the nearest stage. We also wandered around the festival area for a while. We had intended to see some stand-up actually, but it was so crowded that we gave up trying to crowd to hear. Instead, we tried some more festival food, among the countless stalls.
We managed to try both super good chanterelle toast with Västerbotten cheese and Thai food. But there were also a lot of other interesting things to try, from langos to edible insects and kangaroo.
Mud and a Rammstein concert
After a while the rain came and turned the whole festival area into a muddy swamp. If you stood still in one place for too long, you would sink, and you had to pull yourself up to get out. Many of the small tents on the campsite were poorly set up and partially collapsed in the mud.
The night it was the muddiest, the rock hard German band Rammstein played. The concert may not have given us that strong feeling, but it was still a cool concert with a lot of fire and smoke and a lot of action on stage. Then you were glad that you had a comfortable motorhome to go home to!
On the penultimate night we listened to two good concerts: Green Day and Armin van Buuren. We haven't listened to Green Day much before, but it was really good. Armin gave a great laser show in the middle of the night. Then there were only a few hours of sleep. But to be honest, you don't get much sleep when you're at a festival ...
Final night at Bråvalla festival 2013
Last night we saw a whole bunch of gigs: Nicky Romero, Takida, Mando Diao, Lindsey Stirling and Thåström. Mando Diao was a disappointment for us, as we were hoping for some real action. Instead, they only played new quiet songs, which felt completely wrong on Saturday night at the festival. However, Thåström delivered a really cool show, with a lot of emotion!
On the last day of the festival, it felt like all 46,000 ticket holders were in the festival area at the same time. Unfortunately, the beer tents, food stalls and bathrooms didn't seem to be designed for that, resulting in huge queues everywhere. After even more rain, it was also muddier than ever.
However, the biggest mistake was our own. We gave the keys to the campervan to Robin and Alexandra in the evening's wild party. When we wanted to go home after the Thåström concert, there was a misunderstanding about the meeting place and time. Robin and Alexandra went to the final concert with Avicii, and in that crowd it was impossible to find anyone.
Nothing is made easier by the fact that mobile phones stop working in the chaos either. Peter and I ended the evening by sleeping for an hour in the chairs outside the motorhome. Good thing we had thick jackets!
Time to leave Bråvalla festival 2013
Finally, you woke up on the last day of the festival, and it was time to leave the Bråvalla festival. We took it easy and left the place after lunch. All in all, we can say that we had a lot of fun, met nice people and listened to good concerts. However, some parts of the logistics at this festival need to be improved!
A challenge when it was time to leave the festival was of course to get the campervan out of the mud. It went reasonably well for us. Others had to work a little more ...
Sandvik campsite - and meeting with motorhome friends
Yesterday we arrived at Sandvik's campsite, located on Lake Roxen outside Linköping. This...
Parking space in Valdemarsvik's guest harbour - the end of the campervan trip.
The parking lot in Valdemarsvik's guest harbour - it was the last stop on our month-long motorhome trip in the south....
Midsummer's Eve at Ekön campsite
This year it was midsummer at Eköns camping, on the coast outside Valdemarsvik. We travelled here together...
Stegeborg - castle ruin, harbour, tavern and campsite
Stegeborg is located about 2 kilometres from Söderköping, and here you will find a ruined castle from...
Things to do in Norrköping - 16 attractions and experiences
What to see and do in Norrköping? Norrköping is an exciting metropolis that offers...
Kolmården - Aunt Anna walks around the world
Guest writer: Anna Nilsson Spets I search the archives of my memory and think about when I was on...
Old Linköping - a charming open-air museum
Gamla Linköping is a charming open-air museum that shows Linköping from the past, with city blocks, houses, shops and...
Finspång castle - castle garden and mill environments
Finspång Castle was on our bucket list because it is so beautiful. The castle offers a ...
What to do in Motala - 9 tips for the capital of the Göta Canal.
What to see and do in Motala? Motala likes to call itself the capital of the Göta Canal, and...
Borensberg on the Göta Canal - locks and delicacies
Borensberg is a cosy little town on the Göta Canal, where you can see one of the canal's...
What to do in Vadstena - 10 tips for a historic town
What can you see and do in Vadstena? Vadstena is a small town beautifully situated...
What to do in Linköping - 13 sights and experiences
What to see and do in Linköping? Linköping is a pleasant city that offers...
Ekenäs Castle in Linköping - ghost castle with 7 ghosts
Ekenäs Castle is a beautiful fairytale castle in the municipality of Linköping. There is an interesting...
Göta Canal by motorhome - big guide with tips
Göta Canal by motorhome, how does it work and what can you see along the way? This summer...
Alvastra monastery ruins - and the Smoke Stone in Smoke
Alvastra Monastery Ruin is the ruin of the monastery where St Birgitta once received her...
Söderköping - 9 tips for things to see and do
Söderköping is an idyllic and picturesque little town on the Göta Canal. We offer nine tips...
Mem - The Baltic Sea Gateway to the Göta Canal
Mem is a small town by the deep bay of Slätbaken, just outside Söderköping. The small town...
Vreta Abbey - and Stjärnorps Castle ruins
Vreta Abbey in Östergötland is one of Sweden's oldest monasteries. Today there is a ruined monastery ...
Svenska Östergötlandsvägen - FREEDOMtravel Themed roads
Svenska Östergötlandsvägen is a themed road that takes you through Östergötland, to experience the beautiful...
Eight castles in Östergötland - well worth a visit
Guest writer: Cornelia Tonéri My name is Cornelia Tonéri and in everyday life I run the travel blog litemerarosa.se with a focus ...
Bergs locks - Göta Canal's mighty lock staircase
The Berg locks in the Göta Canal include a total of 11 locks, and it's really fascinating to see the...
Östgötadagarna on four wheels - tips for pitches and excursions
Guest writer: Cornelia Tonéri Never before does a landscape reveal itself in such a way as during events...
BP says:
Well, I don't know what to say. I better not write anything. As I said, it looks just as "bad" in Glastonbury right now. 146 000 visitors yesterday who watched the Rolling Stones in the mud...
30 June 2013 - 15:46
Across the board says:
Too bad about Mando Diao, they usually do great festival gigs (but as the Borlänge people they are, they might have been a bit upset that Peace & Love didn't happen) 😉.
30 June 2013 - 18:44
admin says:
BP, as long as you stay upright and have good shoes, it's pretty good. But we saw some people falling in the mud...
Across and across, well that's a shame! We have seen really cool recordings with Mando Diao. But now they showed a completely different style...
30 June 2013 - 20:50
Seniors Speculate, 3 M says:
Just saying, how did you put up with that mud, lost keys and a huge crowd? Learn your lesson and never give your keys to anyone. Just a spare key in that case, especially when it's semi-chaotic. Glad it went well after all. 3 M
30 June 2013 - 20:51
admin says:
3M, of course you are right! We shouldn't have given the keys away, or made sure we had a double set. We have learnt, we promise!
😉
30 June 2013 - 21:00