Stages, food and drink stalls and of course toilets. It must all be there on Saturday during the Stadsfestival in Hoogeveen. But how does the construction of such a festival actually work? And what about safety? Students of primary school De Rainbow in Hoogeveen get a look behind the scenes to see how things are going.
About twenty students join someone from the organization for a day. The tour starts with a group photo on one of the stages. “Have a laugh, everyone,” the teacher shouts. The students then go backstage with the facilitator. “When you walk onto the grounds, you really get an adrenaline rush. Super cool,” says one of the students. “Not many schools get this opportunity. Very interesting,” adds another.
Last year was the first edition of the City Festival. Many young people came to take a look at the site during the construction. According to Pieter-Bas Rebers of the organization that was fun, but not the intention. “That is why we decided this year to invite children to take a look under supervision. To show what kind of work is involved at a festival and what you should consider in terms of safety.”
Because there are certainly dangers. “There are trucks driving around the site, beer crates are being carried everywhere and there are generators. You shouldn’t get too close to that.”
In any case, the students are enthusiastic about the visit. They can look everywhere. At the dressing rooms of the artists and even in the VIP tent. But what actually sticks the most? “The amount of beer that can be tapped here. It’s liters, that takes a lot of work,” laughs a student. “There are quite a lot of cameras here. Care is taken to ensure that no crazy things happen here,” adds another.
Take a look with the children at the construction of the City Festival (story continues below the video):