Romania events: More than 30% of Untold public came from abroad

Untold, the music festival held yearly in western Romania’s Cluj-Napoca, had more than 427,000 participants at this year’s edition.

More than 30% of them came from abroad, a 5% increase compared to the previous year, the organizers estimate. Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Hungary, Ireland, Slovakia, and Denmark were the main countries these came from. The festival also had public from outside of Europe, namely from the US, Canada, Israel, Brazil, Mexico, United Arab Emirates, India, Singapore, and Japan, the organizers said.

When it comes to the local public, 35% were from Cluj county, followed by Bucharest, Oradea, Sibiu, Satu Mare, Alba Iulia, Timișoara, and the rest of the country.

On average, participants to the festival spent at least EUR 750 throughout the four days of the event, held this year between August 8 and August 11, according to estimates of the organizers. The sum covers the accommodation, transport, food, going out, and shopping in the city and is based on estimates made together with the local authorities, the festival’s commercial partners, accommodation owners, restaurants, and commercial centers, Untold said.

For this year’s festival, the organizers rented several venues owned by the Cluj-Napoca City Hall and the Cluj County Council. The festival paid more than RON 1.3 million (some EUR 260,000) to cover the costs of using the city’s Central Park, Cluj Arena, Polivalenta Hall and Casino.

Besides the rental costs, the festival spends this year more than RON 1 million (EUR 200,000) to repair, maintain or improve the venues where the event was held. The sum covers various landscaping and refurbishing works to the arena and parks, it said.

(Photo: the organizers)