Groningen is gearing up for Noorderzon. The 36th edition of the Noorderzon Festival of Performing Arts & Society opens today at 3.00 pm and will take place from 20 to 30 August in the Noorderplantsoen and at various venues in the city centre. This year, the Noorderplantsoen will be transformed into one large, freely accessible stage, with more art, music and performances in more places. A new central meeting place is taking shape around the pond, featuring terraces and a stage in the water: De Kraken. On Leliesingel, you’ll find all the containers gathered together, whilst installations and performances in public spaces will appear at various spots throughout the park. Noorderzon will also be taking place across the city, with performances at venues including Forum Groningen, Grand Theatre, SPOT/Stadsschouwburg, Simplon and Niemeyer. Over the course of eleven days, Noorderzon will offer international performing arts, music, literature, talks, performances, children’s programmes and plenty of free events. More information and tickets at noorderzon.nl.
International theatre & dance: from war and resistance to labour and remembrance
Noorderzon presents an international theatre and dance programme featuring artists from fourteen countries. The festival opens with Deaf Republic by the Irish collective Dead Centre, a contemporary fable about war, humanity and collective resistance. Mario Banushi presents RAGADA A raw and poetic performance about birth, the body and memory. In this piece, Ant Hampton explores Every Second of Downtime our highly automated society, and Louis Vanhaverbeke presents Tractor Rhapsody a musical tribute to labour and recovery. The line-up also includes Oulouy, Lagartijas Tiradas al Sol, Susie Wang, Magda Szpecht and Patricia Apergi, amongst others.
&Society: power, democracy, identity and living together
In &Society, Noorderzon explores the issues underlying the news and current affairs. How are far-right parties gaining ground? What happens to a community when trust and public services disappear? And how do we view gender, identity, technology and the way we live together? Featuring Arjen Lubach, Tatjana Almuli, Lisa Loeb, Catherine de Vries, Qian van Binsbergen and Teun van de Keuken, amongst others, journalism, science, art and personal stories come together. During Shifting Grounds, international artists from the main programme will also engage in conversation with scientists and thinkers about the themes underlying their performances.
&Literaturia: stories, language and new perspectives
&Literaturia brings together writers, poets and thinkers for discussions, readings and meetings. A programme in which literature and current affairs intersect, and stories open up new perspectives. Featuring, amongst others, Ellen Deckwitz, Philip Dröge, Ype Driessen, Cas and Michiel van der Pol.
Music: throughout the park
Music will be ringing out across the whole of the Noorderplantsoen this year. Callisto remains a regular venue for free live music, whilst performances will also pop up in unexpected places, ranging from travelling acts to up-and-coming artists. Jazz will be playing on the roof of Forum Groningen. Music will be all around you this year.
Art all around you
Art is moving further into the park. Through initiatives such as ‘Buitenkans’, artists are being given the opportunity to develop new ideas and performances in public spaces. Installations and events are popping up amongst the trees, along the water’s edge and in unexpected places. The Bandstand is also taking on a new role, transforming into a cinema screen showing archive footage.
Containers, children and a free programme
The containers are back and are all clustered together on Leliesingel this year. Small, intimate performances bring theatre, dance, spoken word and installations to a space of just a few square metres.
At the Speelweide, there will be an eleven-day programme for children featuring performances, workshops and interactive installations.
As well as the paid programme, there’s plenty to enjoy for free in the park: from concerts and performances to art, talks and unexpected encounters. Another new feature this year is a night-time programme organised in collaboration with Amarte at Simplon.
Download the Noorderzon app
With the Noorderzon app, you always have the whole festival at your fingertips. Here you’ll find all the performances, activities and the latest updates. Put together your own programme by saving your favourites and creating your own personalised schedule for the festival. You’ll also be automatically kept up to date with any changes to the programme and can buy tickets for your favourite events quickly and easily.
About Noorderzon
Art you cannot ignore, encounters you won’t want to miss. From 20 to 30 August 2026, the Noorderzon Festival of Performing Arts & Society will create a temporary world in Groningen for eleven days: international performing arts, local talent, talks and interactive performances across the city and in the Noorderplantsoen. A programme that challenges, inspires and shifts your perspective.
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