July 23 – 25, 1998
“Without doubt the best event that Linz has ever organized,” wrote the Oberösterreichische Nachrichten about the 12th Pflasterspektakel. “On Thursday evening many visitors to the Linz Pflasterspektakel must have felt as if they were caught in the rush-hour in Tokyo, so tightly packed were the crowds along Landstraße,” the article continued. Once again, around 100 members of staff were on duty to ensure that the thousands of spectators were well looked after. Easily recognizable in their Pflasterspektakel straw hats they handed out the programs for each day and manned the info-points in the city center to deal with any queries and wishes. Even without the prospect of receiving a fee for their performances, the world’s best street entertainers were still keen to take part. One of the secrets of the Pflasterspektakel’s success is the fact that the city itself, the organizational team and the level of audience appreciation all combine to make the festival an extremely enjoyable experience for the artistes. One by now traditional “feel-good factor” is the Kunstuniversität, the college of art, on the Hauptplatz, which since 1989 has served as the festival headquarters and the place where all the performers can meet and mingle in a relaxed atmosphere. But the Jahnschule in Urfahr, where the majority of the performers, and especially the samba groups, are accommodated in the gyms and classrooms and are well looked after by the school janitor Werner Reischl, has also achieved cult status.
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