Major Music Festival Group Files Suit Against Dutch Government Over COVID-19 Restrictions
Amid an increasingly bitter battle between Dutch regulators and music festival organizers, one of the nation's largest festival production entities ID&T is taking the government to court.
ID&T is comprised of the brilliant minds behind Defqon.1, Mysteryland, Awakenings, and many more iconic festival brands. Time is of the essence and ID&T is hoping the suit will lead to immediate clarity from the government regarding what the path forward for large scale events will be.
Despite the request, many major events—most notably Tomorrowland—have been forced to cancel last minute due to the mercurial nature of the government's pandemic mandates. In Tomorrowland's case, officials at the local level rejected their filing of an event permit despite national level politicians seemingly backing the festival's efforts.
Hardwell performs at Mysteryland, a major Dutch music festival promoted by ID&T, in 2014.
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Late last year, a government-backed exercise led by Fieldlab Events saw a series of pilot tests in order to determine how large scale events could safely and securely begin to take place in the region. In their proposal, Fieldlab Events suggested that prolonging indecision could lead to even more damaging economic loss.
ID&T is requesting for the government to either honor the findings of the Fieldlab Events experiment, which would permit them to host events, or shoulder the burden of the company's lost compensation.
As NL Times notes, Dutch nightlife is closed until at least August 14th. However, ID&T CEO Ritty van Straalen is pushing for a response sooner. "We now want clarity," said Van Straalen. "We can’t keep everyone on a leash until August 14. They can’t let us dangle anymore."
Despite the nebulous guidelines, ID&T recently announced the 2021 lineup for Mysteryland, the longest-running dance music festival in the Netherlands. The event is scheduled for August 27-29, the same dates as Tomorrowland was supposed to take place prior to its controversial cancellation. According to a Facebook post, organizers are "aware of the recent developments in The Netherlands and are closely monitoring the situation."
