​Georgia festival 4GB called off amidst nationwide protests

Georgian festival 4GB has cancelled its 2024 edition amidst political unrest in the country, Resident Advisor reports.

The decision was announced on Instagram yesterday, May 16, just days before the festival was due to go ahead in the Georgian town of Saguramo from May 25 - 27.

The festival explained: “Based on the situation in the country, we consider it unjustified to hold a festival at this time. Our full support to every person fighting for the European future of Georgia."

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The decision comes in light of recent protests across Georgia in opposition to a newly proposed law on the “Transparency of Foreign Influence", which requires NGOs to disclose their income if more than 20% of any funding they receive is from outside Georgia.

The law, which was established to “protect Georgia’s sovereignty from foreign influences”, has been compared to the Russian foreign agent law.

Protests across Tbilisi have been backed by the city’s club community, RA reports, including the likes of Bassiani, KHIDI, and TES. In an Instagram post last week, Bassiani spoke on the “current dire circumstances in Georgia”.

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“Unlawful arrests, ambushes, physical assaults, orchestrated political retaliations, blackmail, and the humiliating fascist campaign against critics and protesters, vividly illustrate that the government, having forfeited its legitimacy entirely, has resorted to intimidation and terror to maintain power,” they explained.

Tbilisi club Left Bank also posted a statement on the political unrest in Georgia, explaining: “Current far-right or neo-fascist pathos of the "Georgian Dream" is already openly and uncovered their declared war against the future of the country.”

4GB Festival was launched in 2011 in dedication to the memory of Georgian pioneer DJ Gio Bakanidze, taking place annually on the site of an abandoned space centre. Since its launch, every event has been headlined by Bakanidze's favourite artist, Michael Mayer.

[Via Resident Advisor]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter