There is a good chance that the TT Festival will again have a floating music stage at the head of the Vaart next year. The success of the place during the recent anniversary edition with 100 years of TT and 50 years of TT Festival leaves us wanting more. The municipal council of Assen wants to contribute 225,000 euros, the province of Drenthe 50,000 euros.
The total cost of such a stage, where 10,000 visitors can stand on the pontoons in the water, is 600,000 euros. The high costs are mainly in rent, transport, music programming and safety measures.
In November, a number of political parties wanted to demand money for the stage with a motion in the council, and then for several years. Councilor Martin Rasker (VVD) then committed to making such a stage possible again in 2026. And then evaluate its success. This year the situation was extra special because of the anniversary year, special music performances, and the weather also cooperated.
The TT Week Assen Foundation, which organizes the annual TT Festival, would prefer to have such a stage on pontoons from 2027 to 2031. They can make good use of De Vaart as a place for a main stage. Because Koopmansplein has become smaller since the redevelopment, so they can accommodate fewer people there. According to the organization, the floating stage ensured a good distribution of visitors in the city, and the location provided ‘some extra TT experience’.
The TT Festival sees the stage as an important calling card for the city. “The main stage on pontoons, in combination with the great interest on the quay, created an appealing cityscape. This was frequently shared on social media and contributed to the profiling of Assen as an event city and motor capital of the Netherlands,” the organization said.
The Municipal Executive shares the enthusiasm about the added value of a stage at the Kop van de Vaart. It appreciates the foundation’s ambition to include this in its programming for several years. But for now there is 225,000 euros in support for next year. B and W will make a multi-year subsidy dependent on the success of the stage at the 2026 edition.
However, the organization must involve residents of the Vaart in the arrival of the stage. For example, there were reports of nuisance at the last TT Festival. “We think it is important that this is kept to a minimum by involving local residents in the plans at an early stage.”
The festival organization will therefore hold an information meeting for residents of the Vaart in the spring. The municipality also wants good coordination with catering entrepreneurs in the city about the floating music square.
The municipal council must still approve the subsidy of 225,000 euros for the music stage. That happens on January 22.