The first artists have been called, locations are being viewed and ticket sales have already started for some festivals. Festival organizers are preparing for a new festival year. What will the 2024 festival season look like?
The organization of the Boerenrockfestival is busy preparing the sixteenth edition. “Last edition was of course our anniversary. We went big with the music,” says organizer Roelof Timmermans. “We didn’t plan to do that again this year, but… we still wanted to give it another try.”
And so the festival closes this year with Davina Michelle. “We are very proud of that.”
The four-day festival that starts on August 15 also continues with the enduro. A competition in which participants ride a marked route on unpaved roads with their motorcycles. “The enduro in the form we have always ridden had a huge impact on our traffic. We had to close three of the four access roads on Friday afternoon,” Timmermans explains. “That was not convenient for the emergency services. We are going to do the enduro in a slightly different form this year.” This means that the enduro will be driven on one side of the road, so that it no longer crosses the festival site. “But it remains just as much fun for the riders as in previous years,” adds co-organizer Marjon Boiten.
In addition to Davina Michelle, Mooi Wark, Marco Schuitmaker, Jannes and The Green Monkeys will also be present at the festival.
Ticket sales started in November and are going well according to organizer René Boiten. “The campsite is already seventy percent full. Two hundred riders have already registered for the enduro. Actually, everything is going very well.”
Not all festivals had an easy time last year. For example, Siepelrock was canceled because too few tickets had been sold. And for the time being, there is no new edition planned.
A lot will change for Pearl Village & Weijdepop next year. The organization announced after the festival last year that they were parting ways and that the festivals would not continue together. Weijdepop will remain at the old location on Reindersdijk in Dalen during the first weekend of July. Pearl Village is moving to the last weekend of August and had to look for a new location. That new location has now been found. “But we’ll keep that to ourselves for a while,” says organizer Nordin Smits.
Last year, Pearl Village & Weijdepop had to deal with neighbors who went to court due to nuisance. After discussions between local residents, the organization and the municipality of Coevorden, agreements were made and the festival could continue. The Pearl Village organization has learned from this. “We will now first talk to local residents,” organizer Mathijs Snijder explains. “Then we will continue the process.”
What comes first is the pleasure of putting on the festival. “Also because we have a large group of volunteers from the village behind us,” Smits explains. “They are also eager to help us again. From the construction, to the catering and the dismantling.” The program is still being worked on, but different music genres will be featured. “From blues to hardstyle. It is very diverse,” says organizer Frank Egberink. “And that is why it is really a festival for young and old, for the entire village,” Smits adds.
In Meppel, the organization of the Riverside Festival is busy looking for a new location. “We were on Blekerseiland, but that is no longer possible because this is going to be completely overhauled,” says Miranda Hendriks of the organization.
The search is in full swing, together with the municipality. “It must fit in with the atmosphere, and importantly it must be easily accessible to young people. We do not have a date yet. But I hope we will know more at the beginning of January.”
At the end of last year, the first names for the Hello Festival and the Holland International Blues Festival were announced. On June 8, DI-RECT, Froukje, Helmut Lotti Goes Metal and Acda and de Munnik can be seen and heard at the Grote Rietplas in Emmen.
In Grolloo, visitors can see Buddy Guy, Ally Venable and Matt Andersen appear on stage from 13 to 15 June.