CHINA: A seven-day horse racing festival taking place in the Tibet Autonomous Region recently saw C-Mark sound reinforcement equipment cope with the environmental challenges of one of the world’s highest locations. 

The Damxung Horse Racing Festival takes place each August in Damxung County, located far north of Lhasa on the Tibetan Plateau. The event boasts a tradition stretching back over 300 years and is staged as part of the Lhasa Shoton Festival. Among the attractions are horse racing, yak racing, archery, horsemanship and a fair, all conducted in colourful traditional dress.

The provision of sound reinforcement for the festival is made more difficult however by its location – Damxung County is located approximately 4,200m above sea level. As a result, the area suffers extreme differences in temperature between day and night, while the air is thin.

Nevertheless, 15,000 spectators gathered for the festival’s opening ceremony, with 16 C-Mark LND32 line array elements deployed for front of house sound alongside 20 FT10A active loudspeakers. C-Mark digital amplifiers powered the system.