The festival costs around 1.2 million in total, says Schneiders. “We have a ton or four of grants. We have to arrange the rest ourselves.”
Financial care for all liberation festivals
That gap closing is becoming increasingly difficult. The financial pressure at liberation festivals has been increasing for years. “Organizing a free festival, with all increased prices, in particular the costs of staff, has just become very expensive,” Schneiders explains. “We must have the turnover that is made at the day. With a bad turnover you will no longer come out of the costs.”
The high costs are mainly among the staff. The increasingly strict government regulations also make organizing more complicated. “We have very strict conditions of the government about the number of security guards, for example. That is very expensive. The cleaning afterwards also costs around 60,000 euros.”
Entrance fee as a solution?
The festivals are highly dependent on catering yields, which in bad weather, such as in 2023, can be considerably disappointing. The festivals then suffered massive loss. That is why the previous cabinet withdrew a million euros in a subsidy for the organizers. That subsidy has since been withdrawn by the new cabinet.
Yet Schneider absolutely does not want to think about levying an entrance fee. “That is a matter of principle, because we celebrate freedom together.”
“Last year, the government made one million available for the first time,” says Schneiders. “I think it is a very strange decision that there is no more amount to ensure that we can continue to celebrate freedom together. Certainly in these times we must be aware of freedom. You don’t want a quiet day to be a quiet day on 5 May on which people go to the furniture boulevard?”