Kingsland, King of Festivals
“Kingsland is my absolute favourite festival experience so far,” exclaims Elisha Yuno, 20. His friend Olivier Split (19), agrees. “It’s THE Kingsday festival.” Kingsland Festival is the fastest growing and largest Kingsday festival in the Netherlands, with a whopping 150.000 visitors and 5 locations gathered in only 6 years’ time. There are many reasons for this enormous festival’s success, so read on!
Kingsland Festival
Kingsland Festival is the biggest one-day dance festival in the Netherlands and takes place every year on April 27th, Kingsday. On Kingsday the Dutch celebrate the birthday of their king, Willem-Alexander van Oranje-Nassau. Kingsday is a big deal to the Dutch; the hype starts building up weeks in advance and most people get a day off to celebrate. On Kingsday there is plenty of opportunity to do so; the many parties, flea markets or festivals are literally everywhere. One of the most popular events is Kingsland Festival. Since 2013 Kingsland-fans gather to celebrate Kingsday. This year’s edition boasts 5 locations, each with multiple stages devoted to their own music genres such as ‘’Spinnin’ Sessions’’ (electronic), ‘’TIKTAK’’ (urban/hip-hop) and ‘’I am Hardstyle’’ (hardstyle). The line-ups include artists like Lil’ Kleine and Afrojack, the crème de la crème of the Dutch and global music industry, and many more.
Key to succes
Key to the success of Kingsland Festival is the organisation behind it. Kingsland is organised by E&A Events, a seasoned Dutch-based organisation that organises parties and festivals and has had incredible international success, especially with their festival Don’t Let Daddy Know, which takes place in the Netherlands, China and Brazil amongst 15 other countries worldwide. DLDK’s breakthrough came in 2012 when it took place in the world’s largest nightclub (capacity of 10.000), club Privilege in Ibiza, the Mecca of the party industry. Recently DLDK even completely sold out 3 shows in the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, which has a capacity of 17,000 people and is the 5thbusiest concert venue in the world! No wonder Kingsland’s Facebook page gathered 80.000 likes.
What’s so special?
Still not impressed? Apart from the organization, Kingsland Festival itself is pretty special too, and for multiple reasons. The festival is only 6 years old, it is one of few festivals with multiple locations and the locations share the artists using helicopters. For example, in 2018 Headhunterz performed in Amsterdam at 16:45, flew to Twente for his 20:00 performance and afterwards hopped on the helicopter for yet another show, the 23:00 grand finale in Groningen! What really sets Kingsland apart however, is the feeling of togetherness. This has everything to do with the organisation’s aim.
One big family
Kingsland celebrates the king’s birthday and by tradition everyone is dressed in orange, creating a ’one big family’ feeling. This strong feeling only grows further because of special events Kingsland organises. For instance, in 2018 the Kingsland visitors broke the world record confetti pop and held a minute of silence in commemoration of Swedish top-DJ and two-time Grammy-nominee Avicii, who tragically passed away only a week earlier at the age of 28.
The feeling of solidarity is no coincidence. In an interview with Partyscene.nl Alex Hes, one of the founders of E&A Events, said: ‘’We aim to give our fans an experience, not just a party.’’ To make this happen the organisation ‘’invests heavily in the production’’ Alex said to djguide.nl. Amazing stages, Ferris wheels and fireworks make for a fantastic experience, yet it is the feeling of ‘’solidarity’’ that really sets Kingsland apart. For example, 538 and SLAM separate their crowds with barriers and visitors wearing football shirts are denied access. On Kingsland there are no barriers between you and the others and you can wear whatever you like (just make sure it’s orange).
‘’We aim to give our fans an experience, not just a party.’’
Alex Hes, founder of E&A Events
Kingsland as a first
Festival lovers know that Kingsland has earned its stripes, but the festival is also really suitable for first-timers. For one, you can pick the closest Kingsland location and tickets are quite affordable (between 32,50 and 39,59), so you won’t waste money or time on travelling or multi-day tickets when you only want to go one day. More importantly, Kingsland is quite relaxed as well. The sites are spacious (up to 110.000 m2) and you can pick your favourite music; just try the different artists and stages. Also, there is little violence and drug consumption compared to other festivals like ADE or Defqon. All in all, there is very little to worry about and a whole lot to enjoy and discover.
The 2019 edition will take place on April 27thin Amsterdam, Groningen, Den Bosch, Rotterdam and Oldenzaal. Each site has its own agenda and visitors must be 18+. More information can be found on their social media channels or www.kingslandfestival.nl. Go grab you and your friends some tickets and have a Kingsday you will never forget! Want to warm up already? Check out the Kingsland 2018 aftermovie!
Pink Dolphin 