Mojo withdraws from Parkpop due to losses

Live Nation’s Mojo Concerts has withdrawn from promoting Parkpop festival, one of the largest and longest-running free-to-attend festivals in Europe.

The Dutch festival has reportedly been in financial trouble for years, with Mojo and the Parkpop organisation picking up the shortfalls “for a long time”.

“A free Parkpop is very difficult these days,” reads a statement from Mojo. “The financial results, the changed festival climate since the pandemic, the increase in costs of materials and artists have prompted Mojo to reconsider its involvement with Parkpop.

“Mojo will continue to support the festival in the background where possible, but due to current developments, Mojo is leaving the organisation. The relations between Parkpop and Mojo are and will remain good, only the cooperation will take on a slightly different form.”

The 40th edition of Parkpop took place in June at new location Malieveld after forty years at Zuiderpark – both of which are located in The Hague.

Organiser Guus Dutrieux of Ducos Productions reports that the most recent edition made losses “in the thousands”.

“A free Parkpop is very difficult these days”

“We caught the shortfalls for a long time and Mojo did too,” he told Algemeen Dagblad. “But of course that will stop at some point. We want to take the time to investigate how Parkpop can be made healthy again. This can be done in several ways and nothing is excluded. The aim is that Parkpop must remain accessible to a wide audience.”

As a result, the festival, which is visited by up to 350,000 people each year, will not take place in 2023.

Following the news, local authorities have weighed in to state the importance of the festival returning, and to pledge their support.

“Parkpop runs like a green-yellow thread through the lives of many residents of The Hague and Hagenezen,” said councillors Richard de Mos and Ralf Sluijs.

“It cannot be that the fortieth edition was also the last. As far as we are concerned, everything is being done to keep this iconic music festival going. Parkpop is too important to the city to just let it die. We will not let that happen.”

The Hague alderman Saskia Bruine added: “If Parkpop comes up with a good plan, we can talk about the 2024 edition. The festival should not be left with a shortage every year. They can simply apply for a subsidy, the conditions for Parkpop are no different than for other festivals. I give them a year to think things through.”

Mojo recently announced that its Dutch hip-hop festival, Woo Hah!, will return next year under a different name and in a new location.

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.