The 20th World Bodypainting Festival begins from July 28. Here’s all you need to know
Created in 1998 as the European Bodypainting Festival, the World Bodypainting Festival is now a top international arts festival, with artists from over 50 countries participating in this edition.
The annual World Bodypainting Festival is celebrating its 20th birthday at a new venue on the Wörthersee Lake in Klagenfurt, Austria, from July 28 to 30, 2017. Artists from over 50 countries will be participating in this edition. The pre-festival activities start on July 24.
Created in 1998 as the European Bodypainting Festival, the World Bodypainting Festival is now a top international arts festival, and the self-titled “biggest bodypainting event on Earth.” It is attended by tens of thousands of spectators who come to watch the artists at work and its catwalk shows featuring increasingly imaginative artworks painted onto the human body using innovative techniques.
The WBF has also become known on the music scene, attracting performers from a variety of genres: from reggae and hip-hop to dancehall and country. This year, the festival will run under the theme of “A Fusion of Beats & Bodies.”
The Open-air Art Park
Competitors in the Bodypainting World Championship start their creations under the gaze of the spectators in an outdoor “art park” nicknamed Bodypaint City. The awards are presented throughout the weekend, divided into three categories: World Awards, Special Awards and Amateur Awards, with Sunday the big day for overall winners. This year, over 200 artist teams from 50 different countries are in the running for the prestigious World Championship titles.
Around Bodypaint City, the festival will also include a variety of markets, arts projects, exhibitions and participatory workshops.
Pre-festival events
Before the noise and colour of the main WBF begin, organisers hold the WB Academy, an intensive course to teach amateurs the basics of bodypaint art: from “Airbrush for Beginners” to “Cosplay Decoration Materials for Bodypainting” and “Painted Clothes.” A zombie “crawl” and Body Circus party are also on the agenda, as well as art exhibitions.
Music lineup WBF 2017
Alongside the bodypainting art and awards, the music lineup for the festival is set to impress once again. For the 2017 edition, confirmed artists include Alvaro Soler (Latin pop), Alle Farben (deep house), 257ers (hip-hop), the Ragga Twins (drum & bass), Big Mountain (reggae) and Angela Reign (country rock.)
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