The event industry is in crisis mode in Sweden right now with no indication of the government that this will be changed. This has to stop now before the event industry is death in Sweden. 

We are a National Dj Association in Sweden that started as a sideproject from the Vart Är Festen rave community. The biggest Swedish rave community with a member count of 21000 and rising and now we represent also more then 40+ dj's in Sweden and we can't keep looking away anymore.

The government has started a vicious circle.
A circle that on one hand makes it almost impossible for event organisers to create events and/or make profit to then reinvest that money. 
Together with a alcohol law that has so many grey area's that it is being abused by pubs and restaurants. Sweden has become a scene of illegal party's and ticket prices sky rocketing together with restaurants asking up 200kr for a party of 2 hours with 2 dj's, 

Now let us adress each flaw/topic seperatly : 

The taxes for events are way to high in Sweden. This makes it impossible to set up decent events like in Belgium,Netherlands,Germany. If the taxes would be reduced the government,local pubs,hotels and the tourism sector would all benefit greatly. 
The flemish region in Belgium makes around 1 billion euro profit from events. 
Instead of taxing them,they subsidise them.

If we look at socio cultural differences also here belgium and the Netherlands is way ahead of Sweden. Where Sweden once was leading it is now dropping year after year as seen in european research statistics.They do not see how important party's or events are.

We went on the streets in different city's (including Mälmo,Stockholm,gothenburg). And everywhere we see the same young people hanging on the streets nowhere to go. 18 and not even allowed in most clubs and party's costing to much money.
No place for them to just party in a safe enviroment and drink a glass of alcohol. Instead they purchase the alcohol illegally to then go to a appartement or house of a friend and drink without supervision. For the Swedish government this is okay and not dangerous because what they don't know does not seem to happen???(this is actually a comment i got from a politician of the Miljöpartiet.... 

Instead of doing it correctly and realize we can offer these people a nice place to go to in the weekend where we can watch there alcohol usage,Do ID controls and limit there use and know at least there not drinking strong alcohol. It would be a win win for everyone. 

Now this alcohol law has become a more serious issue for the event industry when the goverment decided to double down and only give the license if you serve food. 

And let me qoute a text from the government page : " The Swedish Alcohol Retailing Monopoly has the sole right to retail alcoholic beverages in Sweden. The purpose is to minimize alcohol-related problems by selling alcohol in a responsible way, without profit motive."

2 issues right there... First off all limiting it to pubs and restaurants that then are gonna hold party's without the crowd eating at all goes straight against this statement as the intake would be exactly the same then when the licesence would be given to a normal event promoter that does not have a restaurant or pub or food. 

Issue 2 : It's creating a monopoly where pubs and bars ask what ever they want for a so called "party" knowing if people wanna have alcohol they need to go there as a normal event can't serve it. Ticket prices of 200kr and up for 2 dj's and what do the pubs change for that 200kr? they put a dj booth and hire 2 dj's for 4 hours that it's. No extra cost no nothing. No food included,no drink included just 200kr entrance plz knowing people will come and pay as they have nowhere else to go. Killing of the event sector in it's totality. 

If we then look at the european stats of Belgium,UK,Netherlands and Sweden. All these efforts are not even changing statistics. If we look at accidents due to alcohol UK,Belgium and the Netherlands are at the same percentage almost as in Sweden. While it's allowed to drink and go out from the age of 16 in Belgium with legal events all across the country giving people a nice home in the weekend. And helping with social culturel issues. Bringing people together instead of going against them. 

If we look at alcohol addiction Sweden is at the same level of the UK,Netherlands and Belgium. So again it's not helping in that statistic either. 

Keep in mind we are pro prevention but there are so many ways we the event promoters can actually contribute to the country and social cultural feeling and alcohol prevention. if we would be able to sit down with the ministers and make a plan together. Creating a alcohol prevention plan and rules that are correctly for everyone
.A plan where the event industry is not punished but instead are being able to work together with the instances to improve and keep improving.
So we can prevent young people from drinking illegal alchol without supervission and instead turn it into a fun party in a secure enviroment where they can have fun and learn responsibility instead of hanging on the streets. while also stopping the monopoly of restaurants and pubs and there so called "party's". They are not party's there easy money and they know it and if you look at the rate there being done... 
But again the gov is blind and busy. 

We also demand a lowering of taxes on events to get it in line with Belgium,The Netherlands and actually get subsidies and support of local city councils and the federal government to create better events for the people instead of people having to travel to other country's like it is right now.Instead of working against us work with us!
This would result in lower ticket prices as there would be competition and we would actually be able to profit of the amount of people that would go to events within Sweden itself. And reinvest it to create even bigger events and create even more tourism. Together we can place Sweden on the map in europe beside Belgium and the Netherlands as the place to be for events. 

Rave community let your voice be heard and take this to the minister and arrange a meeting and sit together! 

Vart Är Festen Dj Association
https://www.facebook.com/Vart.ar.Festen.dj.association

https://www.facebook.com/groups/vartarfesten