Exactly three weeks ago it took place: The RESIST TO EXIST Festival 2011 in Berlin. Unfortunately, fewer visitors came than expected, which also means that not a few entry fees are missing from the cash register. And that means debts for Alternati e.V. The festival's organizing team has now issued a press release under the slogan "Save the Resist". The team is surprisingly open in the statement and even mentions specific figures for those who cannot or do not want to imagine what it means to organize and especially finance a festival of this size. But read for yourself:
Save the Resist to Exist Festival!The Resist 2011 is history, and we have gathered all the bills and also drawn a financial balance. Although we all had a great weekend (thanks again to all guests, bands, and helpers!) and the venue was well filled, unfortunately, only about 1,500 visitors came, which was too few to cover all costs. We are currently fighting against a deficit of about €10,000 and against the impending insolvency of our association Alternati e.V., through which we organize the Resist.
Neither the well-running advance ticket sales this year - with over 700 tickets sold - nor the weather during the festival weekend spoke against financial success (meaning break-even) this year. Certainly, it is primarily the task of the organizing team to find out where the true reasons lie and whether we may have spent too much money.
Since we want and need to use all means and ways to avert insolvency and ensure that the Resist Festival takes place again in 2012, we have set up a donation option via Paypal. Each of you can help save the Resist with a voluntary donation. We also welcome other forms of support and solidarity options.
If only 500 people are willing to donate €2, that’s already €1,000 less on the debt list. In addition to donations, there is also the possibility to secure one of the last 30 festival shirts from 2011 or to purchase one from previous years. Every cent counts!
What has happened?Even a non-commercial festival like the Resist to Exist costs a lot of money, in our case about €75,000 for stages and equipment, bands, venue, electricity, catering, etc. Currently, we have a deficit of about €10,000 in our account and are working together as a team on different approaches to reduce this as quickly as possible. In the coming weeks and months, we will invest a lot of heart, effort, and energy to organize solidarity concerts and other events so that we can pay all our outstanding bills.
But we definitely cannot do this alone and without your help! The whole D.I.Y. idea on which the Resist is based, that is, the desire to make a difference, to create free spaces, to do things differently, all of this only works together. We have always understood the Resist as a project by you for you, which is why we give as many people as possible the chance to get involved year after year. This year we had about 300 volunteers at the festival. It’s not just about the music; it’s about reuniting old friends, a place for networking, political exchange, and much more. But each of you surely knows best what the Resist means to you.
If we cannot pay the outstanding bills, we will be forced to file for insolvency for our association Alternati e.V., and there will be no more Resist to Exist. Many things could be improved together with you in the coming year to keep one of the few D.I.Y. festivals alive. Unfortunately, all of this cannot happen without money, and so there are still €10,000 between us and the Resist 2012.
