The national news claims that at least sixty Dutch festivals have been cancelled this year. Excluding pandemic years, the data indicates that festivals with 3,000 people or more had been canceled, setting a record. Algemeen Dagblad, a Dutch newspaper, said that just 30 new music festivals have been announced this year, a loss of 30 festivals. Usually, replacement music festivals are announced after music festival cancellations.
Some Dutch Festivals That Got Cancelled This Year
In the past week, Mañana Mañana in Gelderland, supported by Superstruct-backed Feestfabriek (Party Factory), announced that it would not return after its tenth edition because “ticket sales are not enough to make the event profitable.”
UB40-headlined Chillville in Breda was also abruptly canceled due to “a major shortage of event materials and personnel”. Due to significant time restrictions, the Oldenzaal Psy-Fi Festival was forced to abruptly end due to a “complete change in the zoning plan” made by the town.
Amsterdam Music Festival
Many organizers are battling shifting local and federal regulations in addition to growing expenses and a lack of resources. Stricter rules also applied to the BouleVaart festival in Krommenie; in addition to an event permit, an environmental permit and acoustic study were now necessary. The organizer declared, “I don’t think we will ever do it again; everything has made organizing more difficult.”
In the meantime, organizers of the Amsterdam event are concerned that bankruptcy may result from the city’s new permit regime, which is scheduled for trial next year. In an effort to “better meet the needs of all Amsterdam residents,” the new policy, which is scheduled to take effect in 2026, intends to provide smaller, new events a greater chance of securing limited festival venues.
Setbacks Faced By The Dutch Music Festival Scene
Touria Meliani, an events councillor, wants to create a committee that will assign seats based on important factors. Events would find out by the end of this year whether they could be added to the schedule for next year.
DGTL, Amsterdam Open Air, De Zon, Loveland, and Zeezout are just a few of the Dutch festivals that have retaliated, calling the strategy “too late” and “unworkable” for both nascent and well-established events. In a full-page petition that was published in Het Parool last month and addressed to the municipality, the organizers stated, “You cannot organise a safe and successful festival in six months.” As of this writing, 18,613 people had signed the petition that the organizers started in opposition to the new policy.
A coalition of organizations has launched a combined effort to encourage the government to reconsider its plans to raise the tax rate for the cultural and creative sector from 9% to 21%. This is only one of the key issues that are on the horizon.
For festival organizers, cancellation is perhaps the only option. Willem Westermann of The Association of Event Makers told AD, “For events with ticket sales, the costs and also the permit requirements are reasons to reconsider whether you want to continue.” The number of participants at multi-day festivals has decreased as a result of higher ticket prices, which feeds back into the need to raise pricing to make up for the decline in attendance.
A Ray Of Hope
There’s no immediate reason to worry, according to Berend Schans of The Association of Dutch Music Venues and Festivals (VNPF), despite several significant issues facing the Dutch festival and live music sector. The lineup for the festival is always shifting. the viewers as well. People go through different phases of life and have diverse tastes. Schans also cites events like Lowlands (€325 for a weekend ticket) and AC/DC (€170 for a standing room) that, in spite of their exorbitant pricing, sold out extremely fast.
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