Chinese 'Glastonbury' rocks grassland, brings fame to host county
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This year, organizers are expecting 200,000 attendees, as more than 150,000 people were here last August to enjoy a getaway weekend in music when the annual festival rocked Zhangbei's grasslands for the first time.
To satisfy the fevered rock fans, the InMusic Festival, which features more than 50 Chinese and foreign bands and singers spanning metal, punk, folk, electronic and hip hop, ended very late, at 2 a.m., each night.
Famed Chinese singers Zheng Jun and Lao Lang performed during the fest. Foreign acts include U.S. pop-rockers Panic! At The Disco, Paris-based American duo CocoRosie and British post-punks Killing Joke.
Nearly 1,000 security workers, including police officers, firefighters and civil servants, kept a watchful eye on the excited crowds.
"It's quite amazing if you imagine that some 200,000 people suddenly show up on a grassland that rarely has people around and then they disappear three days later," said Zhang Heng, a twenty-something woman who came to the festival to - in her words - "go crazy." The county only has 130,000 permanent residents.
Despite all the excitement, some attendees complained about the unpredictable weather and traffic jams on roads leading to the site.
Rain hit the county Saturday, which made the grassland very muddy and ruined many attendee's shoes and clothing.
Meanwhile, nighttime on the grassland was cold for many campers. Besides, roads leading to the site were very narrow, therefore extremely crowded as many drove their cars to enjoy the festival.
