At least 60 Dutch festivals have been cancelled this year, according to national press.

This figure marks a record number of festival cancellations – excluding the Covid pandemic years – writes AD. In addition, only 30 new festivals have been introduced.

In the last week, the UB40-headlined Chillville in Breda was cancelled at the last minute due to “a major shortage of event materials and personnel” and Mañana Mañana in Gelderland, promoted by Superstruct-backed Feestfabriek (Party Factory), announced that it would not return after its 10th edition as “ticket sales are not enough to make the event profitable”.

In addition to rising costs and a shortage of resources, many organisers are grappling with changing municipal and national policies.

Psy-Fi Festival in Oldenzaal suddenly had to pull the plug because the municipality “made a complete change in the zoning plan,” causing the festival to run into serious time constraints.

The BouleVaart festival in Krommenie also had to deal with stricter regulations; in addition to an event permit, an environmental permit and acoustic research were suddenly required. “Everything has made organising more difficult, I don’t think we will ever do it again,” said the organiser.

In addition to rising costs and a shortage of resources, organisers are grappling with changing municipal and national policies

Meanwhile, Amsterdam festival organisers fear that the city’s new permit policy, set to be trialled next year, could lead to bankruptcies.

Set to come into effect in 2026, the new policy aims to give new and smaller events a better chance of getting scarce festival locations in order to “better meet the needs of all Amsterdam residents”.

Events councillor Touria Meliani wants to set up a committee that will determine who gets a place based on substantive criteria. By the end of this year, events would know whether they have a place on next year’s calendar.

Festivals including DGTL, Amsterdam Open Air, De Zon, Loveland and Zeezout have hit back, saying the approach is “too late” and “unworkable” for both new and established festivals.

“You cannot organise a safe and successful festival in six months,” the organisers wrote in a full-page advertisement addressed to the municipality and published in Het Parool last month.

The organisers have launched a petition against the new policy, which has been signed by 18,613 people at the time of writing.

Another major issue on the horizon is the government’s plans to raise the tax rate for the cultural and creative sector from 9% to 21%, which has also prompted a coalition of organisations to launch a joint campaign asking it to reconsider.

“The festival offering is always changing. The audience too. Taste changes, people enter a different phase of their lives”

A statement from the coalition reads: “The proposed increase in the VAT rate will inevitably lead to higher prices, which will put pressure on the accessibility and affordability of sports, media, books, culture and catering for the public. It affects everyone in the Netherlands in daily life and in several areas. It is an additional burden on the valuable free time, club life, curiosity and (mental) health of every Dutch person.”

Despite a raft of major challenges facing the Dutch live music industry, Berend Schans of the Association of Dutch Music Venues and Festivals (VNPF) says there’s no immediate need to panic.

“The festival offering is always changing. The audience too. Taste changes, people enter a different phase of their lives.”

Schans also points to festivals and concerts that sold out very quickly despite the higher prices, such as Lowlands (€325 for a weekend ticket) and AC/DC (€170 for a standing room).

The Dutch festival market isn’t the only one that’s been hit by a high number of festival cancellations. The UK has seen over 40 festivals shut down, while Australia’s festival scene declared a crisis earlier this year.

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.

Several mid-sized Norwegian festivals have cancelled their 2023 editions due to “skyrocketing” costs, with some axed indefinitely.

Beitostølen Live, a two-day festival that takes place at the base of the Jotunheimen mountains in southern Norway, is the latest victim.

“It is with a heavy heart that Beitostølen Live saw no other way out than to announce a tender,” reads a statement on the festival’s website. “After difficult years of pandemic and war in Europe, our festival concept, the public’s buying habits and the industry in general have changed significantly. With increasing competition, rising prices, demands for advance payment at all stages, failing ticket sales both this year and last year, less sponsorship income and the absence of public financial support, the math unfortunately does not add up.”

Launched in 2019, the festival has seen performances from Sting, Bonnie Tyler and Wyclef Jean.

Elsewhere, Kadetten – a hip-hop festival launched in 2022 that featured Megan Thee Stallion, Central Cee and Burna Boy – cancelled its 2023 edition earlier this year.

“Our festival concept, the public’s buying habits and the industry in general have changed significantly”

“The cancellation comes solely from the costs of the artists and availability in 2023,” wrote Kadetten organisers. “The prices of everything have skyrocketed, in addition, the predictability for American artists has become a logistical nightmare with flights etc.”

Other festivals that will not return in 2023 include the 19-year-old Skral in Grimstad, Oslo Americana (and its sister events in Sweden) and Festival Imperium.

Siri Haugan Holden, general manager of Norwegian Culture Organizers (NKA) says that with rising costs and increased competition it’s not surprising that more organisers see themselves having to cancel.

She goes on to say that the market has sharpened and the association is seeing a greater divide where the big organisers with significant financial muscle are pulling away from the rest.

“The fact that the public is not quite back to the same level as before the pandemic makes it difficult for the organisers to raise the prices as much as the costs rise,” said Holden. “This has put the organisers in a difficult situation, where they may eventually have to cancel.”

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.