Defqon.1 festival canceled as Netherlands issues code red alarm for extreme heat
The Defqon.1 festival in Biddinghuizen has been canceled due to the extreme heat the Netherlands is experiencing. In consultation with the authorities, the organizers decided that there was no other option but to cancel the massive weekend-long festival after the KNMI issued the Netherlands’ first-ever code red weather alarm. Temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius are expected.
“The unthinkable has happened. Defqon.1 has been cancelled for the remainder of the weekend. Effective on Friday, June 26th, the Holy Grounds will close their gates,” the organizers wrote on Instagram.
Defqon.1 attracts tens of thousands of people to Biddinghuizen every year. This year, 58,000 people were expected at the campground, with an additional 15,000 day ticket holders per day. The organizers initially tried to prepare the festival for the heat, arranging extra shade and hydration for attendees, and then canceled day tickets to ensure that the festival grounds are less crowded. But these measures proved insufficient to the extreme weather.
“We are absolutely devastated by this development,” the organizers wrote. “Tens of thousands of dedicated Weekend Warriors are currently staying on the Camping Grounds, many of whom have travelled far and prepared for this weekend for months. Asking them to return home is the worst-case scenario, especially with a fully operational festival and everything in place to welcome them.”
The campground and part of the festival grounds will remain open on Friday, without musical programming, but with basic facilities like bathrooms, to give festival goers time and space to organize their trip home. “We understand that you didn’t plan for this, and we will do everything we can to help you get home safely.”
All tickets will be refunded. The festival will publish details about further compensation after the weekend.
“This is a blow felt on every level. Not only by our visitors, but also by the artists, crew, creatives, and everyone else who has worked tirelessly over the past year to bring this edition to life,” the organizers wrote. “This is not the journey we imagined, and the reality has barely sunk in.”
