Summer 2018 is set to see Sweden hold the first ever women-only music festival. The event, named Statement Festival, has been organised by Swedish comedian Emma Knyckare.
This summer, four rapes and twenty-three sexual assaults reportedly occurred at the popular Swedish music festival Bravalla. Following these reports, Knyckare wanted to organise an event that would be a ‘safe space’ and ‘man free’.
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A Kickstarter campaign was created earlier this year in support of Statement Festival and raised over £46,000. The campaign read ‘Help us to create a safe space for the people who want to attend a festival without being scared for their personal safety.’
Statement Festival will have a capacity of 10,000 and will welcome cis-women, non-binary and trans-women.
Following the sexual assault allegations from this summer’s festivals, Swedish anti-rape charities have responded by accusing festival organisers of ‘failing to protect their guests’.
Mumford and Sons who performed at Bravalla festival in 2016 also spoke out about the matter. ‘We won’t play at the festival again until we’ve had assurances from the police and organisers that they’re doing something to combat what appears to be a disgustingly high rate of reported sexual violence’.
Swedish singer, Zara Larsson, was another celebrity to voice their concern. ‘Damn you people who shamelessly rape a girl in public. Damn you guys who make a girl feel unsafe when they go to a festival.’
It has also been announced that Bravalla festival won’t go ahead in 2018 because according to organisers ‘certain men cannot behave’.
The money raised for next year’s Statement Festival will be used to cover artist costs, renting space, and security. A location for the women-only festival is yet to be confirmed.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.