The Parookaville in Weeze has grown to become Germany’s largest EDM festival, attracting 80,000 music lovers annually with 150 DJs played across 10 stages, and supported by POOLgroup.
As a general contractor for the main stages, as well as the Cloud Factory and Center Shelter stages, POOLgroup was responsible for the conception and implementation of the media and lighting design, in coordination with the stage concept and content creation.
“As a result of the even more sophisticated storytelling, the design and illumination of the ambience around the stages was even more important this year,” explained POOLgroup’s Robert Sommer, who was responsible for the lighting design and concept.
“The Elation [Professional Lighting] Platinum FLX was introduced to me at LMP and sparked my interest. As a result, I decided to test the fixture under real-world conditions,” recalled Sommer. “I suggested Parookaville because an EDM event of this size is probably the hardest test for any light. A lamp that performs without problems here is then tested and proven for the show and entertainment sector.”
The award-winning Elation Platinum FLX is a fully-featured hybrid moving head light that can be used as a beam, spot or even as a wash. With 23,000 lumens of total light output, its power is in the range of 1,200-watt luminaires and its two dedicated optical systems make the fixture an uncompromising spot and beam in one.
Sommer added: “As the Platinum FLX is a hybrid light, I had a wide range of options at my disposal,” explains the lighting designer. “The FLX works perfectly as a spot, but can also be used as a beam. We already had a relatively high proportion of beam lights in the set, but a cool spot still elluded me. Also, I did not want to place two different lamps in one position. The FLX offered an ideal solution.
“The light has a strikingly good spot function for a hybrid fixture. Also the change between beam and spot works very well and supple. In terms of reliability, I have no reason to complain. We had only one failure in advance of the show; in the running operation of the show there were no problems. It is a very clean light, which I will definitely use again.”
Sommer was supported on the project by technical director Nico Düsing and a team consisting of Gordon L’Habitant (Light OP / Cloud Factory), Tobias Bley (Light OP / Center Shelter), Tobias Reinartz (Licht OP / main stage), Mark Brunkhardt (Light OP / main stage), Daniel Gründner (Light OP / Bills Factory), Christoph Pauli (Media OP / main stage), Denis Hessberger (Media OP / Bills Factory) and FOG fireworks + sfx GmbH Ulf Werner (Pyro / SFX) and Sascha Tietze (Pyro / SFX).