Strengthening existing development opportunities for The Hague’s talent is the best option for continuing Parkpop’s role. This is according to a study presented last week by The Hague’s pop music sector. After it became clear that the free pop festival could not return in its original form, The Hague’s pop music sector initiated a study to develop various scenarios.
Preferred direction: investing in talent development
For years, Parkpop was an important venue and springboard for artists from The Hague. However, rising costs and (expected) inflation make a large-scale, free, or nearly free, festival unfeasible. To maintain Parkpop’s vital role, The Hague’s pop music sector and the municipality have expressed their preference for strengthening existing festivals in The Hague, such as Bevrijdingsfestival, The Life I Live, Kaderock, and Sniester. This approach aligns with the existing infrastructure and offers the best short-term opportunities to expand development opportunities for local talent.
To facilitate this, The Hague’s pop music sector intends to establish a Talent Development Incentive Fund for The Hague Pop Culture. This fund will not only facilitate additional performances but also provide content-related support, scouting, and programmatic coordination. The structure and financing of this fund still need to be finalized, and Popradar is the logical coordinating party.
Musicon director Daan van der Bruggen: “The Hague is the leader of the premier league when it comes to pop music. Many of the best-known Dutch bands come from here, and we can be truly proud of that. We have a rock-solid partnership of organizations fully dedicated to the continuous development of talent. Parkpop was a vital link in that chain for years; the festival put The Hague on the map and felt indispensable to everyone. We therefore find it a great shame that bringing back Parkpop proved unfeasible. At the same time, we are pleased that the role Parkpop played for The Hague’s pop bands will be preserved by strengthening existing festivals. This way, The Hague will remain the number one pop city in the Netherlands.”
The Hague is and remains the pop city
“Parkpop put The Hague on the map as a pop city for forty years. We knew that a revival of Parkpop as we knew it was unfortunately not possible; I’m pleased with the research conducted and the enthusiasm of the various parties to take on the challenge. Pop music is in The Hague’s DNA, and we are fully committed to continuing Parkpop’s role as a catalyst for talent development in The Hague,” says Alderman Saskia Bruines (Culture and Economic Development). “This research helps us look ahead: how do we strengthen our position as a pop city and continue to offer opportunities to The Hague’s talent? Strengthening existing festivals is a realistic and promising step in that direction.”
In addition to the preferred scenario, three other options were explored. A new large-scale pop festival with market-based admission prices is only feasible if a national organizer takes the initiative and bears the financial risk. The second scenario, the Haags Veld as an independent festival, would offer a platform for local talent but likely lacks impact and audience reach. Finally, a broad cultural city festival reflecting the diversity of The Hague’s pop culture was considered. This would be complex to organize, but aligns well with the ambitions for a possible bid for European Capital of Culture in 2033.
View the research and the municipality’s response here .
Source: Gemeente Den Haag