What is the Noorderzon festival?

Every year, we look forward to Noorderzon in Groningen and its surroundings! Officially, the name of this festival is 'Noorderzon Festival of Performing Arts & Society'. Here we inform you what to expect from Noorderzon in 2025. Check the timetable of Noorderzon 2025.

Noorderzon is an annual performing arts festival held in Groningen, typically in late August. Set in the scenic Noorderplantsoen park and various venues throughout the city, the festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year. Originally a small music event, Noorderzon has grown into a multidisciplinary festival featuring a mix of theater, dance, music, and visual arts. The festival brings together both local and international artists, with performances taking place in diverse spaces such as tents, streets, and cultural venues. Noorderzon is also known for its free city festival, offering live music, food, drinks, and a lively atmosphere for attendees to enjoy. The festival is celebrated for its innovative programming, often showcasing thought-provoking and challenging works that inspire conversation.

Mark Yeoman, artistical director of Noorderzon

The artistical director is Mark Yeoman and he travels worldwide to visit various performers and programs the Noorderzon festival with his team. The programming of 'Noorderzon Festival of Performing Arts & Society' focuses on new and innovative work in the field of interdisciplinary theater. A professional repertoire with acts that lie on the border between theater and other disciplines.

Femke Eerland, no longer director of Noorderzon

Besides the artistical organization a big part of the work is to manage the professional organization of this big festival. Femke Eerland has been succesfully managing the professional organization as the director of Noorderzon since 2007 and before as a business leader. In 2024 she decided to stop after 16 years of Noorderzon.

Rutger Gernandt will take on the role of General Director of the Noorderzon Festival of Performing Arts & Society in Groningen starting in April 2025.

His appointment marks the beginning of a new chapter for the festival, following the departure of Femke Eerland, who led the organization for sixteen years.

Born in 1985, Gernandt is no stranger to the cultural sector. In recent years, he served as Business Director of the Amsterdam-based theatre collective De Warme Winkel and played a key role in founding Theaterbroedplaats De Sloot. His background is diverse: he studied drums at the Royal Conservatory and public administration at Leiden University. In addition to his work as a musician, he also holds various board positions in the cultural field.

The 35th edition of the festival will take place in the summer of 2025, with Gernandt at the helm of this unique celebration of art and connection in the city of Groningen.

International performances at Noorderzon

The festival is freely accessible, but you book tickets for the performances in advance. There is also De Winkel near the pond where you can buy available tickets on the spot. Smaller performances of the children's program and performances in the containers on the site are only available for purchase at the entrance of the respective locations.

The performances are often of international allure. Personally, I think the level of the performances are very high. At Noorderzon, you will find challenging performing arts from all corners of the world, making it extra interesting. So, for booking tickets for performances in the tents, you usually need to be on time.

When can you start ordering tickets for the Noorderzon performances?

The sale of tickets will take place in stages. Probably in june 2025, ticket sales for the main program of Noorderzon will start. 

Take your kids to the Noorderzon festival

For the kids program, you can buy tickets on the spot. When our son was smaller, we were often found at what I called the 'children's square', located near the large playground by the climbing ropes in Noorderplantsoen. For families with younger children, this is a well-known area. It is almost in the middle of Noorderplantsoen. There is a basketball court and a water tap from the Water Company where you can refill your bottle for free.  On this children's square (as I call it), you have the most diverse creative activities (painting, building, making theater, and so on) and... not entirely unimportant, there is always something to drink for the parents. Great! If your kids are old enough, they can enter the tent without supervision ;-)

Take your dog to Noorderzon festival

Since it is an outdoor event, it could of course be possible to bring your dog. But keep in mind that it is busy, that there are many tasty things to be found and often on the ground, and that there are more people who bring their dogs. So.... I would advise keeping the dog on a leash. There are also some parts of the park available to walk the dog.

I myself live close to Noorderplantsoen and usually leave our dog Kai at home. He gets stressed by the crowds, and I don't walk in Noorderplantsoen during the Noorderzon festival. Also because Kai  really enjoys walking off-leash!

Drinks, a performance, and enjoying music during Noorderzon

In the evening, it is fun to meet up with friends and enjoy live music but also to visit performances. Theater, performing arts, acrobatics, and all kinds of combinations of art forms can be expected at this unique outdoor festival.
Below I give insight into what you can expect from Noorderzon in 2024. It will be beautiful again!

The schedule of Noorderzon 2025

First of all, let's start with the schedule Noorderzon . 
First day of Noorderzon: Thursday, August 14, 2025
Last day of Noorderzon: Sunday, August 24, 2025
So, we can enjoy a hopefully sunny Noorderzon Festival for almost 2 weeks!

The list of performances! Check them here: Noorderzon 2025 Programma Timeline | Stay in Groningen