The Liberation Festival Assen and other liberation festivals in the country will now receive structural financing. This saves the festivals.
“The cabinet finds it extremely important that we consider the values of freedom and democracy on Liberation Day. The liberation festivals can be celebrated in every province and the meaning of this for the here and now,” said the VVD minister.
The festivals first receive a one -off 700,000 euros this year. After that, the government will use part of the 6.5 million euros reserved in the Spring Memorandum for the strengthening of organizations and museums that deal with the memory of the Second World War and the Holocaust.
Karremans will still discuss the exact amount with the foundation behind the festivals. “I do ask for a substantive link here with celebrating freedom in return.” The State Secretary already says that it will be “tons”.
The Foundation Foundation Festivals Nederland is relieved that structural agreements have been made about the financing of the festivals in the future. “We have always had to jump from IJsschots to IJsschots. That is now over,” says chairman Hans Laroes.
According to Laroes, structural financing in rest can be built on substantive programs. “With this you have every year to work on a good program,” he says.
He also mentions the financing “a reward for thousands of volunteers who are building the festivals. It is also a recognition of the role of liberation festivals in this time of international tension. There is a positive influence.”
Multiple liberation festivals had previously announced that they would see the future gloomy if the government would stop the financing. They would have gotten into trouble without money from the empire, they said.