For almost twenty years, the feet of tens of thousands of partygoers hit the floor during WiSH Outdoor in Beek en Donk. For years, the organization rented land from Marcel van Vijfeijken. Now the festival is moving to Lieshout. The landowner is now furious because the contract still runs for five years.
Marcel and founder Tim Klomp Bueters signed a new contract in 2023. Between 2026 and 2030, the site on Lekerstraat owned by Van Vijfeijken would be used annually for the festival.
However, Bueters announced at the beginning of September that WiSH will renounce the site from 2026. “I don’t really know what to answer. It doesn’t seem very smart to me because we have extended the contract until 2030,” Van Vijfeijken responds to an email from Bueters, which is in the hands of Omroep Brabant.
‘Absurdly low’
About two months later, Bueters came up with a proposal by email. “To offer you some compensation, we would like to try to pay one year’s rent (2026).” That amounts to an amount of 36,000 euros. That is only part of the amount that Van Vijfeijken should receive.
“Absurdly low,” Van Vijfeijken responds. The landowner clearly disagrees. He feels pressured. “As if you have to sign at the cross.”
“I can also say that I will just stop and then there will be nothing at all,” threatens Bueters, who also indicates that Van Vijfeijken must come up with a proposal if he does not agree.
If the company goes bankrupt, the contract will be terminated and Bueters says that his company will not be able to pay the rent. Van Vijfeijken therefore wonders whether the founder of WiSH deliberately wants to collapse the company to get out of the contract.
In recent years, WiSH Outdoor has grown into a well-known festival with around 60,000 visitors annually. The festival started as a dance/hardstyle festival, but now the focus is more on different ages and music genres. Last week the organization announced that WiSH will be held in 2026 on the festival site at the Bavaria Bouwerij, two kilometers as the crow flies from the current site. According to the organization, the main reason for the move is a different design.
“I am concerned about his actions.” The landowner does not like WiSH’s attitude at all. He wants the contract for the period 2026-2030 to be complied with, including the full rent of a total of 180,000 euros.
In a response to Omroep Brabant, Bueters said: “The fact that Van Vijfeiken has chosen to involve you in this came as a surprise to us.” According to him, he is always open to talking to Van Vijfeijken. “We can only think that this is to put pressure on the consultation. We will refrain from further comment.”
The conflict between the organization and the landowner has now also reached politics. The Elderly Appeal / Heart for Laarbeek faction has asked questions to the alderman. That party says it has signals that WiSH’s departure from Beek en Donk to Lieshout has been advocated.