All Flaked Out In Hua Mark

No matter how hot it gets on Saturday, music fans will find snow at the Rajamangkala National Stadium – oh, and bands too ; Punters going along to this Saturday’s poprock blowout  the Bangkok Winter Music Festival 2009 – at Rajamangkala National Stadium in Hua Mark -should take along a woolly or jacket to slip over their shoulders. Organiser New Inter Classic Exhibition (Nice) is predicting snow – at least during the ballads.

“We’ll have more than 20 snowmaking machines producing flakes and blowing them into the air during the slow songs,” says Somsak Malang, managing director for Nice, a company that up until now has restricted its activities to organising events for the real estate business

“The global downturn continues to have a negative economic impact on the real estate business,” adds Somsak, who’s been organising events for 16 years and is enthusiastic about the firm’s debut on the showbiz scene.

“There are lots of music festivals taking place outside Bangkok during the winter but many city folk can’t go to them because they don’t have the money to pay for travel and accommodation on top of the expensive tickets. “I’d like this to be an annual event, just like the Pattaya Music Festival.”

Saturday’s festival has a concept that revolves around the number nine: It runs for nine hours and features nine artists  Palmy, Moderndog, Groove Riders, ETC, Friday, Flure, Zeal, Lipta and Paradox  with proceeds, after expenses, going to nine charities (the Foundation for Rural Youth, the Thammarak Foundation for HIV Children of Wat Phrabat Nampu, Ban Kru Noi, the Christian Foundation for the Blind in Thailand, the Sataban Saengsawang Foundation, Friends of the Asian Elephant, the Foundation for Stray Dogs, the Children Cancer Fund, and the National Sports Development Fund of Sports Authority of Thailand).

“Each artist will be on stage for a full 40 to 45 minutes rather than just performing two or three songs as at other festivals,” he says.

The 39yearold MD has invested Bt25 million in his first showbiz project, of which more than Bt10 million is going on the stage production. Bt3 million is earmarked for artist remuneration and the remainder is being spent on public relations and promotion.

“We have a team from Leo Sound System handling the production. They worked on the Honda Winter Fest and they’ll be responsible for the sound and well as for bringing in new equipment like loudspeakers. The stage is 25metres wide and 80metres long with one 12metre catwalk at the centre. We have one large LED there and two smaller ones on each side.

“And, of course, there’s the snow. It’s only a gimmick but I want it to be talk of the town,” he explains.

Surprisingly, Nice’s first project has not picked up any sponsors, so the company will be picking up the entire tab.

“That’s because we were really late concluding the project and sponsors had already closed the accounts for the 2009 budget year. Our tardiness was due to the selection of artists and the venue,” he says.

The festival is expected to draw a crowd of 40,000 people. Some 450 policemen will be on duty inside the stadium and an as yet undisclosed number outside.

with thanks to : NATION