Art takes centre stage at Noorderzon 2026
Noorderzon transforms Noorderplantsoen into one large, freely accessible stage
This summer, Noorderplantsoen will transform into one large, freely accessible stage. Noorderzon Festival (20–30 August 2026) is giving the festival grounds a major upgrade, spreading art, music, and performance throughout the park and across the city. Highlights include a new open-air stage, a redesigned central area around the pond filled with surprise and encounters, an outdoor dance floor, and a new late-night programme.
These changes come alongside a necessary budget cut: the Apollo music stage will disappear. Part of the freed-up budget will be invested in a wider variety of art forms across more locations—this summer, art at Noorderzon will be everywhere around you.
A park full of art
The Noorderplantsoen will be divided into zones, each with its own character. Around the pond, a new central hub will emerge with terraces and a stage. A new open-air stage will host performances and more. Elsewhere in the park, visitors will find a new outdoor dance floor, a photography exhibition, and a film programme. The container structures will be brought together into a compact hub where artists and audiences can meet directly. The Speelweide will host the children’s programme, while food vendors will be grouped into food courts.
Music is not disappearing from the park—on the contrary. Callisto will remain the dedicated music stage in the southern area, and beyond that, music will appear throughout the festival grounds: there will be more music at Noorderzon than ever before. Through the open call Buitenkans, Noorderzon also offers space for new makers and ideas in the public realm. The boundary between stage and audience will blur: performances will emerge between the trees, installations will nestle into the landscape, and at unexpected moments visitors may find themselves part of the work.
Apollo
For many visitors, the Apollo has long been a familiar part of Noorderzon—the place where you could enjoy live music on warm August evenings in the heart of the park. However, the stage has become increasingly difficult to sustain financially. Its removal is partly a budgetary necessity, but also an opportunity. Noorderzon is a multidisciplinary arts festival, and part of the freed-up budget will be invested in a broader range of freely accessible art forms across more locations in the park. At a time when more and more open-air festivals are introducing fences and charging entry fees, Noorderzon consciously chooses to remain freely accessible and open to all in Noorderplantsoen.
Art across the city
The international theatre and dance programme has long been presented at venues across the city centre. Grand Theatre and Forum remain key partners in showcasing work. This year also marks a renewed collaboration with SPOT/Stadsschouwburg. New this year is a late-night programme that begins as the bars in the park close. Noorderzon will announce its international theatre and dance programme in May, followed by the full line-up in June. Ticket sales will also start in June.
Strengthening the financial base
These changes are part of a broader financial challenge. Rising costs are putting pressure on the entire festival sector: in 2024 and 2025, dozens of Dutch festivals were cancelled, often for financial reasons. Noorderzon is also feeling this pressure. Hospitality revenues in the park—traditionally a key pillar of the festival budget—are under strain due to changing consumer behaviour and unpredictable weather. The festival is working to strengthen its financial base through new partnerships, fundraising, and greater involvement from regional businesses and individuals. Noorderzon needs the support of everyone who believes in freely accessible art in public space.
Quotes
Rutger Gernandt, Managing Director:
“We are saying goodbye to something many people feel strongly about, and we are certainly not doing so lightly. We are choosing to enrich the park, not diminish it. More art forms, more locations, more for everyone. That requires funding, and we need support—from regional businesses, from funds, from anyone who believes a freely accessible festival like Noorderzon should exist.”
Mark Yeoman, Artistic Director:
“Letting go of the Apollo creates space we didn’t have before. Art can now appear where you least expect it. We are looking for more playfulness and spontaneity, turning the entire park into a playground for artists and audiences alike.”
About Noorderzon
Art you can’t ignore, encounters you don’t want to miss. From 20 to 30 August 2026, Noorderzon Festival of Performing Arts & Society creates a temporary world in Groningen for eleven days: international performing arts, local talent, talks, and interactive performances across the city and Noorderplantsoen. A programme that challenges, inspires, and shifts your perspective.