Rotterdam Festivals lets the city spring to life!
There is always something to enjoy for everyone in Rotterdam. From major, spectacular events to small-scale festivals in your neighbourhood and fun outdoor surprises on the streets of Rotterdam. Rotterdam Festivals helps to make this happen.
Rotterdam Festivals supports and promotes festivals and cultural activities that are in line with the city’s DNA: raw, international and enterprising. In close cooperation with creative culture makers and festival organisers, we make sure that Rotterdam continues to be a fascinating metropolis. This is a city that the citizens of Rotterdam are proud of and visitors really enjoy. We do surveys to find out what the wishes and needs are of the (envisaged) festival audience. We also advise the municipality of Rotterdam about cultural policy and festival policy. This is how we let the city spring to life! By thriving on its energy. By keeping what is good and investing in new cultural events. We are here for every citizen, for every visitor, and for every maker. We are here for Rotterdam.
How it all began
Rotterdam Festivals was founded in 1993 with a mission to make the city more lively and attractive and to coordinate the existing festivals better. A lot has changed in the years that followed. Rotterdam developed as a city and we as Rotterdam Festivals moved along with the changes. Our range of activities has increased tremendously. Now Rotterdam Festivals is not just an organization that puts together the Festival Calendar, but it also supports, promotes, investigates the needs and wishes of the (envisaged) festival audience and advises the municipality of Rotterdam. We achieve excellent results. The Festival Calendar has grown with numerous innovative festivals, from large and spectacular to small-scale and intimate events. The city of Rotterdam is increasingly vibrant.
Rotterdam won an award for being one of the best festival cities in the world in 2010 for the first time. The city was awarded again in 2015 and 2019. The Lonely Planet listed Rotterdam in the top 5 of best cities to visit in 2016.
Working on the city of Rotterdam - full of enthusiasm
Rotterdam Festivals has now become an organisation with around 20 employees operating from the heart of the city. Every day we work for our city – full of enthusiasm. It is still our mission to make the city more lively and attractive for everyone. This mission has not changed since 1993, but the circumstances have. The city is facing major challenges that demand our attention: climate change, the energy transition, but also societal issues such as inequality, housing shortage and lack of inclusivity. Rotterdam is becoming more and more densely built. Venues are transforming.
Festivals are now perhaps more important than ever before. They bring people together. They make sure that there are fun surprises and moments of wonder, opportunities to meet and feel connected to others. Together with creative culture makers and festival organisors, Rotterdam Festivals makes sure that Rotterdam continues to be a vibrant metropolis, where there is always something to enjoy for everyone.
To continue to do pioneering work, we as Rotterdam Festivals are proactively working on an ecosystem in which new and innovative ideas can be created. We are highly driven and ambitious to really go for the projects and concepts we believe in. We always look at what can be done. We are here for the makers, but also for the visitors. They come from every part of the city of Rotterdam and from far beyond. Like a guide, we show them all the cultural activities on offer. We advise the municipality of Rotterdam about cultural events in public space and about the right balance between peace & quiet on the one hand and liveliness on the other hand, and about the energy that makes Rotterdam unique. We are in the best position to do so, because we operate at the heart of the cultural landscape. We know what is happening and we are the first to spot new trends.
Meanwhile, we regularly conduct surveys to find out about the needs and expectations of the general public taking part in cultural events in Rotterdam. We share the knowledge we gather with the city’s culture makers. This allows them to do even better when it comes to organising festivals that reflect our city’s identity. We aim to make all citizens of Rotterdam proud of their city as well as continuing to attract visitors from outside the city of Rotterdam.
More info? Please contact us!
