The very first edition of the Regio Songfestival will be held on Saturday 4 November in Stadsschouwburg Utrecht. Never before have all thirteen regional broadcasters from the Netherlands worked together on such a large-scale and unique event.
The format is à la the Eurovision Song Contest. Each regional broadcaster sends an artist for the final. These 13 artists compete for the win in a dazzling live show. For this first time, Utrecht, centrally located in the Netherlands, has been chosen, with RTV Utrecht as the guest broadcaster. And just like with the Eurovision Song Contest, the next edition of the festival will come from the province of the winner.
What makes the event so special is that the individuality and richness of the various regions and regional languages of the Netherlands are reviewed during the live show. From Frisian, Limburgish to Brabantish and Zeelandic. The artists sing exclusively in the regional language or in Dutch. In addition to the diversity of performances, this makes the Region Song Contest unique and a spectacle for everyone to watch. The show will be broadcast live for approximately two hours from 8.30 pm on the television and online channels of all 13 regional broadcasters. This generates a huge reach.
Co-organizer Machteld Smits of guest broadcaster RTV Utrecht looks confidently at this first edition: “The collaboration with regional colleagues gives a lot of energy. All ingredients are present. It is a unique event and music provides the right connection. The regional broadcaster is for everyone and is always available and now for the whole of the Netherlands!”
North Holland preliminary roundsEach region presents its own act. In the run-up to the grand final, NH will organize a series of preliminary rounds in which a colorful collection of North Holland artists can show what they have to offer.
You can register via nhnieuws.nl/hetregiosongfestival