0317 festival in the Torckpark in 2023. Photo Niels Mulder Wageningen’s 0317 festival, which was to take place for the third time this year, has become “homeless”. The festival grounds in the Rhine harbour are currently in use for the storage of construction materials and, hence, unavailable. Meanwhile, the festival organisation should be busy booking performers. ‘Time is of the essence.’
‘We were already discussing the permits required to upgrade the location with the municipality’, says PopUpop organiser Ron van der Sterren. ‘Suddenly, we were informed that the location is currently covered in construction materials. This took us by surprise, as well as some of the city’s administrators, who also had no idea.’
A major setback for the 0317 festival organisation. The festival, which attracted almost 2000 visitors last year, already moved from Torckpark due to noise complaints. Van der Sterren: ‘We considered all manner of potential locations in Wageningen last year, but there really are no suitable spots, as there are always residential areas nearby. We thought we had finally found the ideal location.’ Now that this location is unavailable, PopUPop has little hope of coming up with a plan B.
Two weeks
The festival is planned for 14 June, so time is of the essence. ‘We need to book the acts and order materials’, Van der Sterren explains. ‘If we fail to find a suitable venue in the coming two weeks, the festival will have to be cancelled.’ Wageningen municipality agreed to assist in the search for an alternative venue but has yet to come forward. Postponing the festival to a different date really isn’t an option, according to Van der Sterren. ‘Planning for this date was a huge puzzle. Wageningen is empty during the summer, and a later date brings the risk of bad weather.’
