Organization and first edition After an unsuccessful attempt to establish a
street circuit in the city for the
Formula Renault 3.5 in July 2005, the city Government decided to fill in the summer events calendar with an open-air music festival. In early 2006, it approached local musical promoter Last Tour International, responsible for the organization of the
Azkena Rock Festival, celebrated in nearby
Vitoria-Gasteiz since 2002. The newborn festival received the name of
Bilbao Live Festival, and had a budget of 4.2 million
euros. The newly developed area in mount Cobetas was chosen as the location, which included two main stages for the rock acts, two
electronic music tents, one
pop music tent, and several bars and shops. Over 51,000 people attended this first edition, and was considered a "success". and defined the festival as a "good starting point".
BBK sponsorship and consolidation In early 2007, local savings bank
Bilbao Bizkaia Kutxa decided to become an official sponsor for the festival, as part of the actions for its 100th anniversary celebration campaign. As a result, the festival's name was changed to
Bilbao BBK Live. Unlike other sponsorship renamings, where the sponsor's name is usually dropped in an informal context, this festival is commonly referred to as "the BBK Live" or simply "the BBK". The second edition enjoyed a "significant budget rise", and the area designated for the stages and camping was also increased from 70,000 to 110,000 m2. The 2007 edition was also the first (and currently only) to be celebrated in June, a decision took based on the "European summer festival calendar". Over 95,000 people attended the event, and produced an economical impact estimated in 13 million euros. in the 2008 edition. For the 2008 edition, the festival moved back to its original dates in the first weekend of July and a three-day programme. This edition was headlined by American acts
R.E.M.,
Lenny Kravitz,
ZZ Top, and British bands
The Police,
The Prodigy, and
Madness. This year saw the introduction of a new festival in the city;
Kobetasonik was focused in
heavy metal music, was headlined by
Kiss and
Judas Priest, and was held two weeks before BBK Live in the same venue at mount Cobetas. Bilbao BBK Live 08 was attended by a little less than 80,000 people, well below the expected 95,000. Rain and difficult access to the site, available only through shuttle buses provided by a private party instead of the city's public buses as in past editions, were seen as factors for the decrease in attendance. However, the edition was still considered a success, and despite a project of moving the festival to a new location at an abandoned
amusement park in
mount Artxanda, the organization decided to stick to Cobetas, and promised improvements in the area and services for 2009. The fourth edition, held between 9–11 July 2009 suffered greatly from the
financial crisis that struck Spain in that period. As a result, the line-up was considerately "less commercial", as defined by the organization. Headliners included
Depeche Mode,
Jane's Addiction,
Kaiser Chiefs,
Editors, and second-timers
Placebo, among others. The festival received over 52,600 visitors, a "foreseen decrease", and although considered a "step back", the continuity of the festival was confirmed. This edition saw an increase of foreign visitors, a 5-point increase from the past edition, totaling 14,6%. Foreign attendees came principally from
France and the
United Kingdom. This was mainly due to a special offer aimed to anyone with a postal address outside of Spain, with a three-day ticket for £40, one third of the standard price. == Lineups by year ==