It is a peaceful demonstration in Amsterdam, Utrecht and Rotterdam. Other cities may follow. With the protest, festival organizers want to send a signal to the government. The sector asks for a clear plan for the future, with measurable agreements, but also to acknowledge the emotional state of the many visitors and makers who do not feel heard. We want to be able to meet again, laugh and dance again. Above all, we want to be able to look forward again.”
Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced during a Friday evening press conference that discos and nightclubs will remain closed until November 1. The festivals won’t take place until September 20 anyway.
The organizations behind the march express their lack of understanding of the fact that, for example, football stadiums are allowed to open, but the event sector is not. “We have been constantly promised that when the vaccination rate is high enough, we can all dance together again. For this reason, many young people have been vaccinated,” said Jasper Jossen of event organizer Apenkooi, one of the initiators. The organization is responsible for Amsterdam Open Air, DGTL, Pleinvrees and Valhalla, among others. “If not now then when? I expect that the desire to vaccinate among young people will decline only as a result.”
Other festivals that have joined are Vunzige Deuntjes, Thuishaven, Smeerboel, Appelsap, Verknipt, LatinVillage Festival and De Amsterdamse Zomer.
