Dutch Government Decreases Funding for Liberation Festivals
- Job Doornhof
- Jan 30
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 5
Even though the Dutch national government had initially decided to cut its extra funding for the Liberation Festivals, the events will still receive 700,000 euros this year, according to a letter that RTL Nieuws has seen. This is significantly less than the 1 million euros the festivals received the year before.
The national government provides structural funding to the organizing committee behind the festivals. Since the festivals were facing serious financial challenges, the government decided to allocate extra funding for just one time, last year. This year, the state was not planning to provide extra funding, but has now revisited its decision by still allocating some additional money to the celebration of 80 years of freedom.
The organization behind the festivals is unhappy about this, as the Liberation Festivals are still struggling to make ends meet, after a few years of COVID-19 and very bad weather in 2023. They believe the extra funding is still very limited.
Held annually on May 5th, Liberation Day marks the Netherlands’ liberation from Nazi occupation, at the end of World War II. Since 1980, the country has celebrated with music festivals across the country. These festivals are typically financed by a mix of national government subsidies, provincial and municipal contributions, sponsors, and revenue from the festivals’ catering services.
The Liberation Festival takes place in fourteen different cities spread out over the country, and entrance is always free. It is a lively festival meant for everyone, with a lot of live music concerts, food trucks, and bars. Every year, various famous artists assume the role of freedom ambassadors, and perform at multiple stages.
Locations of the 14 Liberation Festivals in the Netherlands
The Dutch Ministry of Public Health, Wellbeing and Sports emphasizes, in response to questions from The Glass Room, that the government sees the celebration of Liberation Day as very important. However, the extra funding was, and will remain, exceptional. “The responsibility for a structurally healthy exploitation of the Liberation Festivals does not lie with the national government. We find it important that the festivals can sustain themselves.”
“We think the extra funding is measly,” Hans Laroes, chairman of Foundation Liberation Festivals Netherlands, tells The Glass Room. “I don’t understand the government’s decision, because this is about celebrating freedom and our constitutional democracy. Now especially, it is very important to pay attention to this, because of all the existing tensions in our society.”
The money the government has allocated this year will be just enough to keep the festivals going. However, if the Dutch government does stick to its plans to stop the extra funding of the festivals completely, these celebrations of freedom will depend on other sources of financial support.
Comments