Ponchos, rain boots and knee-deep mud. Last year 7th Sunday fell completely into the water. But this Sunday, that will be made up for twice over. The shorts and sunglasses can come out of the closet; a sunny day awaits.
“This is absurd,” says spokesperson Geertje van Zoggel enthusiastically. “After all the bad weather of the past few months, we didn’t want to believe it until the time came. But it turned out really well!”
“Instead of 18,000 visitors, there were 200 in front of the mainstage.”
Let’s go back to that particular Pentecost Sunday last year. You may remember the images. Fluttering ponchos, a completely flooded area and visitors who made their way through the mud on wheelie bins. 11 millimeters of rain was predicted, but almost 60 millimeters came down. The wettest day since 1969.
“That day was very sad”, Geertje recalls. “Where normally 18,000 visitors can stand on the field in front of the main stage, there were 200 in a poncho. Every hour we thought it would finally stop raining, but it just kept going.”
The organization was putting out fires all day. Part of the wooden decking started to float. And one of the stages had to close because the tent turned into a kind of water bag. Around half past ten in the evening it finally cleared up. “And exactly at that moment DJ Tiësto started. That was an encore.”
“The main stage feels huge this year.”
But today it’s all different. The sun is in the sky and the grounds are radiant. This year the layout is different and the main stage is bigger than ever, says Geertje. “The mainstage is 120 meters wide and 31 meters high. Two meters higher than normal. But because of the VIP decks around it, which are also larger, it feels huge.”
So no ponchos this year, but sunglasses. And don’t forget sunscreen. By the way, you have to be careful. “You are only allowed to take small packages of 100 ml and no spray cans,” Geertje warns. And in the evening it cools down considerably, so the organization also recommends to bring a jacket or sweater.
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