Dear Fusionists,

It’s been decided that the partial lockdown will be relaxed somewhat at the end of December. As it turns out, we’ll be able to celebrate Christmas a little and maybe even fire a few rockets on New Year’s Eve. Whatever… We’d already bet on the downfall of the Christian western holiday and had prosecco chilling to ring in a once-in-a-millennium event actually worth celebrating: a Christmas and year end free from the usual signs of relentlessly destructive consumerism. Even if we’ve been denied this Schadenfreude, we still say fuck Christmas and fuck New Year’s Eve: it’s all about making sure this madness is over by summer.

To that end, it’s all systems go here to ensure the Fusion Rocket launches at the end of June and that the largest holiday camp in the Republic will be able to pitch up here in Lärz. Albeit split into two teams, we want to party together with you and ring in the end of these dark times and a year devoid of culture and fun.

No matter how dystopian times may look right now, and even though no one can yet say how it’ll all look in the summer, the night is darkest before the dawn.

Given the recent news regarding vaccine developments, we presume that (unless the politicians really screw this up) high-risk and vulnerable members of our societies should be vaccinated by the summer and this will allow the situation to become increasingly relaxed. That’s the moment when we’ll see the end of these unfair judgments about what is system-relevant and what isn’t, and no one will be able to prevent us from expressing and enjoying our creative and cultural freedom; from partying; dancing and getting our lives back.

Maybe there will still be Coronavirus measures and restrictions. Maybe we’ll still have to keep our distance, wear masks, and/or be tested before entering the festival site. But if it’s no longer about keeping solidarity with those who are vulnerable and there’s no longer a risk that the health service will face collapse, well then nothing can stop us and a summer like that of 2020 cannot and will not happen again. Everyone – politicians more than anyone – should deal with this now!

And that’s that for our preface to this newsletter. Here’s the latest update:

1st  December: Start of the registration phase for 2021 tickets

Procedure:

As you all know, tickets for Fusion festival have not been sold directly since 2013. A ballot process raffles off tickets to those who have registered for a ticket in advance.

We consider this method a lot fairer than simply first come, first served. However, there are a few things to keep in mind. Given that we’re splitting the festival into two teams across two weekends, you first need to coordinate with your party buddies in advance and decide which one you’d like to attend. You won’t be able to attend both weekends, and you won’t be able to swap later either.

Between 1 and 14 December, 2020, you’ll have access to our ticketing area. That’s where you choose a ticket either for Team RED or Team BLACK, input your data and send off the application.

You can register alone or with your friends as part of a clique. All members of a clique will win or lose together, irrespective of which team/weekend was chosen. To register, one person goes through the ordering process to set up the clique and then passes the clique name (and password if you like) on to everyone else in the clique. When you join a clique, be sure that you’ve also chosen the same weekend. We can’t correct mix-ups later on, so the selection you make is binding and important!

On 21 December, shortly before the Christmas holidays, the ballot will take place and you’ll be informed as to whether you have won and your wish has been accepted. We must have received your payment by 19 January, 2021.

Teenagers from 14 years old need their own ticket for the festival. Under 14s do not need a ticket, but children and young people have to camp in the family camp and are only allowed to visit the festival site during the day and only while accompanied by a parent or guardian. At this point we’d also like to say that Fusion Festival is not a suitable place for children and, in accordance with the Youth Protection Act, we will ensure that children and young people do not linger on the stages, do not collect bottles, and leave the site when it gets dark. So it’s better to leave them at home with friends or grandparents.

Of the 70,000 tickets sold in 2020, 16,000 were cancelled by the November deadline. 46,000 ticket holders transferred the required additional ticket fee of €75 and registered relatively evenly across the two teams/weekends. The remaining 8,000 did not respond and did not make a payment and therefore had to have their tickets cancelled by us.

Splitting Fusion up across two weekends because of the Coronavirus restrictions means significantly more costs for us. That meant that we had to increase the ticket price by €75. A steep surcharge for sure. But sadly an unavoidable one to have any chance of covering our increased costs, the anticipated hygiene measures we’ll have to take, and our running costs for a whole year.

The ticket price for 2021 will therefore rise to €220 (including €10 rubbish deposit and €5 ticketing and processing fees).

Ticketing 2021

The approximately 25,000 cancelled tickets will be included in the 2021 ticketing ballot and raffled off among those who register between 1 and 14 December, 2020 here on our website.

2020 ticket holders who already have a ticket for 2021 are not permitted to register for this raffle. Anyone who cancelled or had their ticket cancelled can register for this ballot for a ticket for 2021. Those who have already registered to be a Supporter are not permitted to participate in the ticket ballot.

Anyone who cheats and tries to get tickets for both festival weekends, or who registers multiple times in order to try and increase the chance of success, will be disqualified without further discussion.

Fusion tickets have been personalised for many years to prevent resales on the black market. The pandemic also makes the personalisation of tickets essential for track and trace purposes. We are therefore required to check your ID and scan in your ticket at the entrance to the festival. Should there be an infection at the festival, we are obliged to pass your data on to the health authorities upon request. We will develop a detailed hygiene concept by March, which will be based on the current information regarding infections at that time. From this concept, and in consultation with the health authorities, we will establish which preventative measures we consider necessary and how far the restrictions will have to go. At this point, all Fusionists will need to accept and support it. If you are not prepared to do this, you need not bother getting a ticket!

Ticket cancellation and exchange 2021

Every purchased ticket can be cancelled in your online ticketing account up to 31 March, 2021. From 1 April, 2021, cancelling a ticket will no longer be possible. Then, and for the first time, there will be a ticket exchange on our website. All ticket holders can trade (sell, buy, re-name, swap weekend) tickets there from 1 May and up until the weekend before the respective festival. The exchange will be monitored by us to ensure everything goes smoothly.

If, contrary to our hopes and efforts, the festival has to be cancelled or is cancelled by us because the hurdles we have to overcome to put it on are insurmountable, all tickets will remain valid for 2022, but can also be cancelled without issue.

For the first time in 2021, we will not send any Fusion tickets out by post. All tickets will be available as e-tickets or print-at-home. You will receive the snazzy hard-copy printed tickets we had already had printed for 2020 as a souvenir (and as rubbish deposit voucher) upon entry to the festival.

Our absolute mission: Fusion 2021 with two teams across two weekends

We are working on a Fusion concept that is viable and feasible during these Corona times - both in terms of health and safety, and in terms of fun. Here on the Kulturkosmos site, we’ve not stopped all summer, despite the absence of a festival. We have been continuing the preparations for 2021 and beyond and, in the next few days, we will share pictures on our website of the construction sites that we mentioned in the last newsletter. Lärz may be quiet at the moment, but the work continues on the site and in our offices still. We will keep you updated on all the latest developments via our website over the coming weeks and months, and leave you here in the firm expectation to see you here again next summer.

The Fusion Crew