The festival season is about to start, but where can the best parties be found? For every music lover there is a festival that suits them perfectly. We have already selected nine festivals that you should definitely keep an eye on. Buy a nice outfit, gather all your friends and get ready for the festival season!
Easter doll March 29-31
Paaspop kicks off our festival season in March. Don’t want to celebrate Easter weekend with your family? Then go to Paaspop! This three-day festival is full of fun. Each stage has its own style, but the overarching genre is pop and rock. There is something for everyone. It’s already a party during the day, but in the evening the (invisible) roof goes off with the big names completing the line-up.
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DGTL March 29-31
Didn’t manage to get tickets for Paaspop? Take a look at DGTL. This festival mainly wants to stimulate the visitor by discovering, surprising and inspiring. DGTL focuses on the latest technical and sustainable innovations. The festival is not the same every year. They also call themselves the most sustainable festival. The sustainable additions you see at other festivals were probably first shown at DGTL. The music style is purely electronic. You can get a day, night or weekend ticket.
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Dauwpop May 31 & June 1
Dauwpop is one of the smaller festivals on the list, but with around 15,000 visitors annually, it can no longer be called an unknown festival. The festival started on Ascension Day, but now lasts several days and is therefore no longer on Ascension Day. Do you like a more intimate festival? Then you’ve come to the right place. Dauwpop is also suitable for both young and old. Mainly home-grown artists can be found here.
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Best Kept Secret June 7-9
Don’t go to Best Kept Secret if you want to experience everything at a festival. Here they put all the focus on the music. You will find a big name on stage here and there, but you will mainly see many new, upcoming artists. Especially in the genre of indie, but folk and electronic can also be found on the site. The festival takes place on the grounds of Beekse Bergen. So do you want to discover new artists? Then this is the perfect festival for you.
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Pinkpop June 21-23
Pinkpop is the longest running annual festival in the world. Since 1970, it has attracted many visitors every year. The festival always falls on the weekend of Pentecost, hence the name Pinkpop. The organization has announced that Pentecost and Pinkpop will not coincide in the coming years. This is because Pentecost falls too early these years. There are four stages, each stage has its own purpose. For example, Stage 4 is for the artists who will have the opportunity to enter the Mainstage in a few years. The most common genres at Pinkpop are pop (logical) and rock. Artists from all over the world come to Landgraaf and age does not play a role.
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Defqon.1 June 27-30
This festival is mainly for hardcore, hardstyle and techno enthusiasts. The name Defqon comes from the word defcon, which is an American army term. Defqon.1 is spread over four days and you have the option to buy both day tickets and weekend tickets. The festival has ten stages, recognizable by their colour. All music styles played on Defqon.1 fall under harder dance. Hardcore and hardstyle are the biggest, but there is something for every dance lover.
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Down the rabbit hole July 5-7
The name of this festival is derived from the book Alice in Wonderland, where Alice falls into a hole and ends up in another world. The organizers of DTRH (Down the Rabbit Hole) want to convey that same feeling to their visitors. The three stages are named after rabbit breeds, to stay on theme. DTRH stands for adventure, confusion, surrealism and psychedelics, from which the artists draw inspiration for their sets. In general, the genre of the festival is indie, but genres such as rock and R&B are also often included.
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Tomorrowland July 19-21 & July 26-28
We cross the border for Tomorrowland. Just below Antwerp is the town of Boom, where Tomorrowland is located every year. The festival is also the only festival on our list that spans two weekends. The dance festival is super international and that is also reflected in the arrangement. Tomorrowland offers special packages for long-distance travelers, so that the trip and accommodation are included in one ticket. In 2023, more than 600 DJs performed for 400,000 visitors, spread over the two weekends. If you are really into the dance scene, Tomorrowland is almost an obligation to go to!
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Lowlands August 18-20
Last but not least, A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise, or Lowlands. Lowlands is the perfect ending to your festival season. The festival falls in the middle of the list with 65,000 visitors. The festival site is located on the Walibi grounds in Biddinghuizen. Lowlands is certainly not just music. There are also art forms such as theater, cabaret and film. Tickets are only for sale for the entire weekend, so only go if you really want to go the entire weekend. At Lowlands there will be an artist to suit every music lover’s taste. Both big and smaller names can be found at this festival every year.
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Special mention: Apple pop
This festival is the only one on the list that is free to enter. Appelpop is paid entirely by sponsors. This can be seen from the names of the internships; Go-Tan internship and Rabo internship. The festival is spread over two days, in the second weekend of September. In general, the artists at Appelpop are Dutch, with the occasional foreign artist. Appelpop also gives emerging Dutch bands the opportunity to showcase their talents to the country. Nice to visit during your festival season!
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