Pinkpop expects extreme heat at festival; Race events adjust plans amid marathon deaths

Extreme heat is already affecting many events in the Netherlands, where authorities have activated the national heat plan to alert people to possible dangers. One of the most popular music festivals in the country, Pinkpop, is making preparations for excessive heat that should easily surpass 30 degrees Celsius, while various road events have announced adjustments to both start times and their courses.

At Pinkpop, where temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius are expected, organizers said the festival terrain has been adapted for heat and potential thunderstorms, with free water points, additional shaded areas and covered structures in place. A spokesperson said the event is “well prepared” and in close contact with meteorologists, noting that severe weather remains difficult to predict but is being closely monitored.

Pinkpop headliners this year include Twenty One Pilots on Friday, The Cure on Saturday, and Foo Fighters on Sunday. Festival organizers said they expect the temperature to hit 34 degrees Celsius on the first day and will peak at 33 degrees the other two days.

Festival attendees were told to bring as much sunscreen as they need, but not to use bottles larger than 250 milliliters. They can also bring water in bottles up to 500 milliliters.

On social media, Pinkpop received criticism for only planning two points where water will be handed out for free. Some 140,000 people attended the three-day event last year, raising concern about whether there will be enough water for everyone.

When it comes to running events, the most significant cancellation involves the Vuurtorenloop in Hoek van Holland, which was called off entirely ahead of its scheduled Friday race. Organizers said the decision followed consultations with medical advisers, the municipality of Rotterdam, and regional safety authorities.

Because the event was sold out, participants will not receive refunds. Organizers said all funds had already been committed to preparations. Entry is not automatically transferred to next year’s edition, though the organizers said they are considering “an appropriate gesture” for registered runners.

A yellow weather warning is in effect Thursday and Friday across nearly the entire country. The National Heat Plan, intended to protect vulnerable groups, was activated nationwide at 10 a.m. Thursday. “The combination of heat, high humidity, and the chance of thunderstorms puts the safety of participants, volunteers, and spectators at risk,” the organizers said.

In Assen, the TT City Run will proceed in a reduced form. The kids run, and the 10-kilometer and 14.6-kilometer races have been canceled, while the 5.4-kilometer race will still take place with an earlier start time.

In Haarlem, organizers of the Grachtenloop, featuring 5-kilometer and 10-kilometer routes, are responding to the heat by adding more water stations, increasing first-aid capacity, and extending time limits for finishers.

The changes follow a pattern of recent heat-related incidents at Dutch races. In early June, a runner died during the Utrecht half marathon, and another participant died at a similar event in Leiden. Authorities have not released causes of death.

Separately, organizers of the Sneek marathon canceled the event earlier this week. While rising temperatures played a role, the main reason cited was that the required first-aid plan “was not completed in time.” The plan had been drawn up by a 22-year-old man from Groningen, described as a fake ambulance worker, who had previously allegedly used a fake ambulance during Sneekweek. He had already been sentenced to more than a year in prison.