Dutch festivals face rising costs as heat wave forces increased safety measures
The recent tropical heat wave in the Netherlands has forced festival and sports event organizers to implement extra safety measures, driving up costs, RTL reports.
Gerard van der Werff, financial manager of the CHIO equestrian event in Rotterdam, told RTL the festival added ventilators in stables and stands, extra water taps for spectators, and sunscreen dispensers to cope with the heat. These adjustments have cost around 10,000 euros on a total budget of 3.8 million euros. Some expenses, like sun visors handed out to visitors, were covered by sponsors.
Van der Werff explained, “The amount the organization has to cover itself is manageable, but we have to watch every euro, so it is a concern.”
This is not the first time CHIO has faced extreme heat. “A few years ago, the entire weekend was over 30 degrees, now it was just one day. Compared to that weekend, this is manageable, but it was still extremely hot,” Van der Werff told RTL.
Despite the extra costs this year, Van der Werff emphasized that ticket prices will not increase next year because of them. “We can absorb it, but this shouldn’t happen every year.”
Other major festivals have also taken heat-related precautions. Pinkpop spokesperson Lotte Smits confirmed the festival installed additional water stations and erected more canopies to provide shade. She declined to disclose the cost of these measures. Last year, Pinkpop faced higher expenses due to persistent rain, placing elephant grass on muddy areas to improve footing.
At the Festival ‘Jordaan in de polder’ in Lelystad, already underway and continuing today, organizers activated a heat protocol to prevent visitor overheating. They added extra water taps near toilets, deployed additional staff at entrances to speed ticket scanning, expanded toilet facilities and bars, and increased first aid capacity. Sunscreen was made available throughout the site.
Not all events have continued as planned. Several sporting events, including marathons in Assen and Sneek, were canceled because of the heat. The Amsterdam ring road running event, part of Festival op de Ring, was shortened.
Classical music concerts in Eindhoven, Maastricht, and Roermond were also canceled due to concerns over heat effects on instruments and the health of musicians and audiences.
Organizers remain cautious. Previous heat waves at events like the Dam tot Damloop and the Nijmeegse Vierdaagse led to hospitalizations and even deaths, raising concerns over safety.
Insurance companies increasingly exclude extreme weather events from coverage. Van der Werff told RTL that CHIO has a good event insurance policy but noted, “There are many questions about extreme weather and its consequences, such as heavy rainfall, to limit risk.” He confirmed that cancellation of CHIO due to heat would be covered by insurance.
