Although it was still pouring rain during construction, visitors to the Folk an de Gruppe festival could squeeze their hands together on Saturday, because it remained dry all afternoon and evening. “It was a lot of fun to see Pastor Bossie”, Robert Scherpen of the organization looks back on the first evening.
The festival, which takes place near the Dutch-German border in Nieuw-Schoonebeek, received the appreciation prize from the municipality of Emmen earlier this year. It has been in existence since 2016 and has had its current name for three years now.
The seventh edition on the site in Pastoor see Bossie was kicked off by the Americana formation Tennessee Studs. Furthermore, the estimated seven hundred visitors could enjoy, among other things, blues rock band Voltage. Irish Celtic punk band Mr. Irish Bastard closed out Saturday night.
Appreciation for small scale
“The reactions were good. And not only the audience was positive. The bands too. They appreciate the small scale,” says Scherpen. “Mr. Irish Bastard comes from Germany and also gives performances for 20,000 people, but the band members actually like 700 people more. The band also played among the crowd. That is not possible if there are 20,000 people.”
To arm themselves against the rain, which Nieuw-Schoonebeek probably will not miss on Sunday afternoon and evening, the organization has set up extra tents on Sunday morning. This way the public can still enjoy the second day of the folk festival dry.