The festival had applied for a different tent than stated on the permit. That tent – the main stage of the festival – was rejected by the environmental department. The organization had entered into discussions with the service last week to have the tent approved. However, the municipality felt that safety could not be guaranteed.
Organizer Wouter Muurlink states that the tent had already been requested in March. “It is a nicer upgrade of the old tent. This new tent is used at festivals such as Amsterdam 750 years.”
According to Bal, Music On followed additional measures from the municipality for the safety of the tent. “On Friday we closed it by mutual agreement, so we were really in the dark. If we had known this a week earlier, that old tent would have been there.”
Millions in damage
The festival was slowly wound down this afternoon. The damage to the organization runs into millions because all artists, logistics and supplies had already been paid. Muurlink thinks that this event will continue to grow.
“We want to evaluate this with the municipality. It is important for the entire industry to know how this could have happened,” says the organizer. However, Muurlink is grateful to emergency services and especially disappointed visitors that everything went relatively smoothly around the site on Saturday.
