Minister: KaZantip music festival a failure
By Tea Mariamidze
Monday, September 8
Calling Kazantip is a low-quality festival, Georgian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Economy Giorgi Kvirikashvili called the project a failure in Georgia.
The minister mentioned that the ministry had not made any statements that could have hindered festival success.
Kazantip Republic President Nikita Marshunok responded to the minister through his Facebook page and demanded an excuse from Kvirikashvili. He stressed that Kvirikashvili could not assess the festival’s quality, as he has never attended it.
The electronic music festival, which has been held for the last decade in Crimea, was moved to Georgia’s Black Sea coastal town of Anaklia after Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula. Various demonstrations were held against the festival by fundamentalist Orthodox Christians.
However, after the festival got underway, Marshunok was displeased with the prices of the apartments and flats for rent, as well as the prices of food and drinks, which increased eight to ten times, compared to what people were promised.
Locals, who took loans to renovate their houses and cafes for the festival, claim that they did not see any profit, as there were too few people attending the festival. Some accuse the current Georgian government in not supporting the festival.
Kazantip took place in Georgia from August 20-30. It was stated earlier that the Kazantip Festival and the government might have signed a 10 -year collaboration memorandum. After concluding the festival, the fate of the future partnership remained murky. However, based on the statement made by the minister of economy, 2014 might be the last year Kazantip is held in Georgia.
