July 21 – 23, 1994
This year was the first time that over 100 groups with 400 artistes from 20 countries performed at the Linz Pflasterspektakel. The often imaginative spelling of the word “Pflasterspektakel” seen on the many international applications that reached the cultural affairs department in Linz had often caused gales of laughter and this year they gave the organizational team the idea of portraying “Pflasterspektakel” in pictures. A humorous sticker depicting “Pflaster” (cobbles/a plaster) “Speck” (bacon) and a “Dackel” (Dachshund) was produced to advertise the summer event around the city. As was now traditional, the world of music was most prominently represented with 35 groups taking part. But increasingly it was the great and colorful diversity of types of street entertainment and the superb standard of the performances that was emerging as the festival’s most distinctive characteristic; and this is what sets it apart from similar festivals to this day. The sheer variety of forms of expression often requires equally varied performance conditions. It is for this reason that as the festival developed the organizational team introduced measures to remove the “competitive edge” among the groups that would otherwise vie with each other for the audience’s attention. So since this time the order in which groups can choose their locations and time slots has been decided by the random selection of numbers. Fairness and solidarity between all those taking part have made the Pflasterspektakel a true cultural crossroads. It also underscores the new self-perception that Linz, a former center of industry, has achieved for itself; otherwise, how can more than 200,000 visitors be explained, even taking into account the marvelous luck the festival has had with the weather?
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