The first large scale all-female festival, Statement Festival, has concluded its inaugural iteration. It was hosted from August 31-September 1 in Gothenburg, Sweden. Event organizers crowdfunded a total of $300,000 to launch Statement’s seminal edition.

The ‘cis man-free’ festival exclusively employed women, transgender, and non-binary staff members, who filled a number of operational positions ranging from security personnel to catering. Developed in response to a string of sexual assault and harassment reports in Sweden in 2017, Statement strove to provide a ‘safe space’ in the electronic event sphere for those who fear such unwanted sexual advances during attendance at a festival. The recently released findings from Durham University’s study regarding UK women’s fear of sexual harassment and assault specifically within the music festival circuit corroborated Statement Festival organizers’ rationale regarding the event’s introduction. 70% of women reported concern about sexual assault, while 69% said that they were wary of sexual harassment. Another 30 percent indicated that they had been sexually harassed while at a festival, while 10 percent stated that they’d been victims of sexual assault at a UK festival.

While Statement Festival’s inception has led some to decry the event’s ‘discrimination’ against cis males, it seems that Statement Festival is not only now here, but here to stay.

Photo Credit: Annika Berglund

H/T: Stoney Roads

Tags: cis male, Statement Festival, sweden

Categories: News