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Netherlands

NAC Breda in 2026: The Big-Budget Favourite for an Immediate Comeback

Pixelated photograph of a football stadium

NAC Breda — the "Pearl of the South", backed by one of the most passionately loyal fanbases in Dutch football, the Yellow Army — spent the 2025-26 season back in the Eredivisie, only to come straight back down. Now they find themselves in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie for 2026-27, and their chances of an immediate return are among the best in the division. Not because of luck, but because of the budget, the continuity in the dugout and the sheer size of the club. It is a strong position — but not one without risk.

Baroeg Open Air 2026: Two Days of Punk, Metal and Rave in Rotterdam

Crowd at Baroeg Open Air 2017

Baroeg Open Air returns to Rotterdam's Zuiderpark on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 September 2026 — and for the first time in its history, the festival spans a full weekend. The 16th edition packs around forty acts onto multiple stages, mixing punk, metal, post-punk, gothic, breakcore and rave into one sprawling celebration of hard and alternative music, organised by the legendary Rotterdam poppodium Baroeg.

Huis Bergh: Reopening of the Netherlands' Largest Water Castle

Historic view of Kasteel Huis Bergh and the church of 's-Heerenberg

On Thursday 17 September 2026, King Willem-Alexander will reopen Kasteel Huis Bergh in 's-Heerenberg after a nearly three-year restoration, striking a commemorative coin with a historic screw press to mark the occasion. Two days later, on 19 September, the castle fully reopens to the public. For the Netherlands' largest water castle, with almost 900 years of history, it is the start of a new chapter.

Lowlands 2026: The Year the Ticket War Didn't Happen

Lowlands ticket stub from 1993

Lowlands — A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise — returned to the fields of Biddinghuizen from August 21 to 23, 2026, and something unusual happened: the festival did not sell out. For the first time in years, there was no frantic online scramble, no crashed servers, and no "sold out" sign within minutes. Instead, roughly 60,000 visitors found noticeably more breathing room between the twelve stages — and most of them seemed to love it.

Dutch housing market locked, 'someone has to pay the price' | Jona van Loenen

A descriptive image The Dutch housing market feels like a game of musical chairs where the music has stopped, but the prices keep soaring. Starters feel hopelessly locked out, while homeowners watch their equity balloon into astronomical figures. In a fascinating discussion on "De Nieuwe Wereld," economist Jona van Loenen dissects this gridlock, arguing that the familiar mantra of "we just need to build more houses" dangerously misses the point.