The 20th edition of the Hello Festival in Emmen is sold out again this weekend. With a full campsite, 17,000 visitors on Saturday and a sophisticated heat plan, organizer Wim Beekman has nothing to complain about. “I can really enjoy all those people walking around here today. I make time for that, it’s very nice to see.”
It is impossible to imagine the festival calendar without the festival at the Grote Rietplas. Not only does it attract hordes of music lovers, great artists also find their way to Emmen. Where Lenny Kravitz was still present in 2019, Madness and Suzan & Freek are the big names this year. And the singer Bouke, who is now extremely popular throughout the Netherlands, also climbed onto the stage close to home.
It means that young and old (according to organizer Beekman, the Hello Festival is a real ‘family party’) make their way to the festival site. A number of boys from the neighborhood are looking forward to Kris Kross Amsterdam, a DJ duo that regularly enters the Top 40. “There’s a good line-up,” they say. “It is definitely not just a party for the somewhat older visitor.”
The fact that the Hello Festival has a supra-regional image is evident from the maze of accents that are spoken at the festival. From Ameland to The Hague, and from Brabant to Friesland: the Emmer festival is popular.
Nevertheless, there is a ‘reunion atmosphere’, says Wim Beekman. “Every year you see that people who previously lived in Emmen come here again. It is often a reunion with acquaintances.”
According to him, the strong line-up means that people outside Emmen also know how to find the festival. “In addition, you can go here with the whole family.”
According to Beekman, the terrain at the Grote Rietplas is perfect for the festival, especially on a day like today. “There is shelter from the trees and because we are near the water, a light breeze ensures that it is soon two degrees cooler here.”
The organization also ensures that it does not become too busy on the site. “We can very easily sell more tickets, but we don’t want that. We want to offer good service. Then you shouldn’t have too many people on the field.”
To cope with the summer temperature, the organization set up fifty water taps and worked with sun cream dispensers. The visitors themselves also had their own ways of staying cool: “Not too much beer, but plenty of water.” And of course: “Keep lubricating.”