Sweden’s largest music festival, the famous Bråvalla Festival, has been marred by numerous and constant reports of sexual harassment and assault since its inaugural event in 2013. This past year’s festival tipped the scales with 27 different instances of assault and rape, prompting organizer, the Hamburg-based FKP Scorpio, to announce that the 2018 edition of the festival would not be taking place via a strangely worded press release.
Shortly afterwards, Swedish comedian and radio personality Emma Knyckare asked a hypothetical question on Twitter:
Vad tror ni om att vi styr ihop en asfet festival dit bara icke män är välkomna som vi kör tills ALLA män har lärt sig hur en beter sig?
— Emma Knyckare (@Knyckare) July 2, 2017
If you don’t speak Swedish, that question is: “What do you think about putting together a really cool festival where only non-men are welcome, that we’ll run until ALL men have learned how to behave themselves?”
And, by virtue of the powers of the internet, that “what if” became a “when” and Knyckare followed up shortly thereafter with an announcement that the formulation of women-only festival was underway.
“Sweden’s first man-free rock festival will see the light next summer,” she wrote. “In the coming days I’ll bring together a solid group of talented organizers and project leaders to form the festival organizers, then you’ll hear from everyone again when it’s time to move forward.”
Although smaller festivals that cater exclusively to women exist elsewhere, the 50,000+ attendee Bråvalla festival would be the largest of such events.
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