Festivities in Salzgitter's historic town center set for resumption!
The Old Town Festival in Salzgitter faced an unexpected delay this week, following a dispute between ride operator Frank Noack and the festival's organising committee. The source of contention was the dismantling of Noack's Break Dancer ride, which was set up on private property, outside the festival grounds, without the necessary approvals.
The Break Dancer, a popular attraction, was found to be blocking a rescue lane due to its size, causing concern among safety officials, including Michael Buse, the first chairman of the Bürgerfeste Salzgitter committee. Buse criticised the setup, stating that it could potentially lead to tragic events reminiscent of the Love Parade disaster.
Despite being registered two days before the festival's start, the Break Dancer was not approved by the responsible authorities. This oversight, combined with its placement on private property, without clear escape and rescue routes, sparked a series of events that led to the ride's dismantling.
Frank Noack, the operator of the Break Dancer, claims he was shouted at and insulted during the request for dismantling, which occurred on Thursday before the festival. Noack expressed confusion as to why discussions about the setup could not have been had beforehand.
The dismantling of the Break Dancer reportedly caused significant financial damage of approximately 20,000 euros to Noack. He has threatened to never return to Salzgitter due to this financial loss.
It is worth noting that the festival grounds have clearly marked rescue and escape routes, including large-format signs at a height of 3 metres. The police, local authority, and fire department were all present and requested the dismantling of the Break Dancer.
A partial area of the festival grounds is sublet to a showman who organises the area within the festival's guidelines and rents it out to other stands and rides. However, it appears that this arrangement did not prevent the Break Dancer from being set up on private property, outside the festival grounds.
The exact reasons for the postponement of the Old Town Festival and the precise details of how the dismantling incident led to this decision are not fully clear at this time. However, it is common in such situations for safety and operational issues with rides at festivals to lead to cancellations or postponements, and for operators to express frustration if event organisers fail to manage these aspects properly.
The dispute between Frank Noack and the festival's organising committee concerning the Break Dancer's placement extended beyond home-and-garden matters, reaching into the public arena of the festival grounds. The dismantling of the Break Dancer, a popular attraction, revealed a potential danger to public safety, causing a lifestyle change for its operator, Frank Noack. Despite its relocation to private property, the Break Dancer, installed outside the festival grounds, hindered clear escape and rescue routes, sparking safety concerns among officials.
