Pinkpop is an annual music festival held in Landgraaf, Netherlands. It is currently the longest-running continuous annual pop music festival in the world. It is usually held on the Pentecost weekend ("Pinksteren" in Dutch, hence the name). If Pentecost falls on an early date in May, the festival is held later in June. The festival began in 1970 and has been held at Megaland, a 27-hectare site, since 1988.
The festival started in 1970 at Burgemeester Damen Sportpark in Geleen. It has been a three-day festival since 1996, with a capacity of 60,000 people per day and performances on four separate stages. From 2006 through 2011, Pinkpop sold out six years in a row. During 44 editions, more than two million people have attended Pinkpop. Some 700 music acts have played at the festival.
The Guinness World Records book names Pinkpop as the longest-running continuous annual pop music festival. The Reading Festival, first held in 1961, holds the record for being the oldest annual pop festival, but as its 1984–85 editions were cancelled by a local council ban, Pinkpop maintains the longest consecutive record.
Name and logo
The name consists of two parts. 'Pink' comes from the Dutch word for Pentecost (Pinksteren) and 'pop' comes from pop music (or 'popular music'). But a later creative interpretation for the name combines the English word pink and the Dutch word pop, which means doll, thus forming the origin for the logo, a doll in a pink dress.
The precursor to Pinkpop was held on Pentecost Monday in 1969. It was completely free, and called Pinknick because people were supposed to bring their own food. Only a free pig roast and free apples were provided by the organizers. Inspired by the Monterey festival from 1967, a number of hip local bands were persuaded to come and play unpaid. Almost 10,000 visitors were attracted, ranging from pop music lovers to grandparents and their grandchildren. And families with empty shopping bags, loading up on apples. A young journalist Wim Wennekens and a youth group director Hans van Beers organised the event because they felt there was very little for young people to do in Limburg.
History In 1970, two men joined the duo to organise the first Pinkpop, including a 23-year-old named Jan Smeets. Over 10,000 people stood in front of an improvised stage built in the stands of the sports park in Geleen. The music was held on 18 May from 1 to 6 pm but still received noise complaints. In 1976, the festival reached its maximum capacity of 40,000 for the first time.
In 1988, the festival was held at Megaland, a 27-hectare site, for the first time. Construction on the event site began in 1982 on what was formerly the Staatsmijn Wilhelmina coal mine.
In 1994 (the 25th edition), it was decided to sell only 60,000 tickets, to prevent overcrowding due to the popularity of the festival. In 1995, it was made into a two-day festival. Two years later this was further expanded to three days.
In 2005, Pentecost was held earlier and keeping with tradition, the festival was held from 14 to 16 May. This was a month earlier than usual, so many bands' summer tours had not started yet because they usually stop at Pinkpop along other festivals such as Rock Werchter and Rock am Ring. Thus the headliners were three electronic acts: The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy and Faithless. Ticket sales were a low 22,000: 16,000 fewer than 2004 and 40,000 fewer than 2002. As a result of the low turnout, founder Jan Smeets almost "pulled the plug" on the festival but decided to keep going.
2007 saw a spin-off, later in the year, on 11 August, called Pinkpop Classic, for an older rock audience, with bands that had previously performed at the festival in past decades. This spin-off was held again in following years, with the exception of 2011, when the organisation was not able to book enough artists.
In 2008, Pinkpop was not held on Pentecost weekend for the first time because the holiday was too early and Smeets did not want to repeat the same mistake as 2005. The festival was shifted to late May and turned out to have had the largest concert attendance to date with 94,000 unique visitors.
The dates for the 2010, 2013, 2015 and 2016 edition have been shifted as well, for similar reasons. The 2020 and 2021 Pinkpop festivals were not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lineups
2007 Pinkpop 2007 was held from 26 to 28 May.
It was the 20th time the event was held at the Megaland Park.
On 28 February, most of the line-up was revealed. Pearl Jam was announced to make their 3rd appearance on the Pinkpop stage, but they cancelled, for two of their members would become fathers in the Pentecost weekend.
Mainstage 3FM Stage BUMA/John Peel Stage Saturday 26 May - Goose- Juliette and the Licks- Within Temptation- Marilyn Manson - Noisettes- Wir sind Helden- Good Charlotte - Viberider- Stevie Ann- C-mon & Kypski Sunday 27 May - Gabriel Ríos- Razorlight- Iggy & The Stooges- Snow Patrol- Muse - Ozark Henry- Gogol Bordello- Ilse DeLange- Lostprophets - The Nightwatchman- Paolo Nutini- Maxïmo Park- Krezip Monday 28 May - The Fratellis- Wolfmother- Scissor Sisters- Arctic Monkeys- Linkin Park- The Smashing Pumpkins - Thirty Seconds to Mars- Stone Sour- Dave Matthews Band- KoЯn- Evanescence - Five O'Clock Heroes- Maria Mena- Macy Gray- The Magic Numbers- The Kooks
Krezip replaced Amy Winehouse, because she had to cancel due to illness. Krezip started their gig playing Amy Winehouse's "Rehab".
2008 Pinkpop 2008 was held from 30 May to 1 June in the Landgraaf Megaland Park.
Pinkpop 2008 had the largest audience of concert attendees to date, with an average of just over 60,000 people arriving each of the three days, prompting the festival organizers to announce that 180,000 people had visited the festival. Because the 42,500 available three-day passes sold out completely, the actual number of unique visitors is 94,000.
Mainstage 3FM Stage GM Next (tent) Stage Friday 30 May - Flogging Molly- Incubus- Metallica - Sat2D- Animal Alpha - Alter Bridge - From First to Last- Jonathan Davis- Porcupine Tree Saturday 31 May - Moke- KT Tunstall- Editors- Kaiser Chiefs- Foo Fighters - Air Traffic- Bad Religion- Eagles of Death Metal - Stereophonics- The Verve - Blood Red Shoes- Voicst- Amy MacDonald- Justice- Groove Armada Sunday 1 June - Fiction Plane- Gavin DeGraw- Racoon- Alanis Morissette- Queens of the Stone Age- Rage Against the Machine - The Wombats- Cavalera Conspiracy- The Hives- Serj Tankian- Counting Crows - Patrick Watson- Kate Nash- Pete Murray- Saybia- Róisín Murphy
Animal Alpha replaced Novastar, because they experienced delays in recording their new album. Eagles of Death Metal replaced Chris Cornell, because he had obligations in the studio.
2009 Pinkpop 2009 was held from 30 May to 1 June.
On 4 March 2009 the Pinkpop Board gave a press conference in Paradiso in Amsterdam, to answer questions from the press and announce which artists will be performing on Pinkpop 2009 will be announced.
Mainstage 3FM Stage Tent Stage Saturday 30 May - Chris Cornell- The Killers- Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band - Kings of the Day- Me First and the Gimme Gimmes- Elbow - Noisettes- Just Jack- Dr. Lektroluv Sunday 31 May - Milow- Volbeat- Madness- Krezip - Placebo - De Staat- Rowwen Hèze- Maria Mena- James Morrison- Keane - You Me At Six- Kyteman's Hiphop Orchestra- The Rifles- White Lies- Pendulum Monday 1 June - The Gaslight Anthem- Novastar- Amy Macdonald- Franz Ferdinand- Anouk- Snow Patrol - Shinedown- Mando Diao- Billy Talent- De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig- The Kooks - The All-American Rejects- Hollywood Undead- The Script- Katy Perry- The Ting Tings
Krezip replaced Depeche Mode, because lead singer Dave Gahan had to undergo a procedure after a tumor was spotted in his bladder two weeks before Pinkpop. Placebo replaced Depeche Mode as headliner.
2010 Pinkpop 2010 was held from 28 to 30 May. Mainstage 3FM Stage Converse Stage Friday 28 May - Epica- Kasabian- Motörhead- Rammstein - The Opposites- The Temper Trap- Paolo Nutini - Sungrazer- The Black Box Revelation- Gossip Saturday 29 May - Moke & The Metropole Orchestra- C-mon & Kypski- Mando Diao- Editors- Green Day - Ryan Shaw - Destine- Biffy Clyro- John Mayer - Everything Everything- Kitty, Daisy & Lewis- Caro Emerald- 2manydjs Sunday 30 May - The Maccabees- Danko Jones- Skunk Anansie- Triggerfinger- Pixies- The Prodigy - Jon Allen- Kate Nash- Slash- Mika- Pink - DeWolff- General Fiasco- Yeasayer- Florence + The Machine- Gogol Bordello
Ryan Shaw replaced Wolfmother, because lead singer Andrew Stockdale was too sick to go on tour. Wolfmother was first planned on Sunday, but Triggerfinger covered their spot, so Ryan Shaw could play on Saturday.
2011 Pinkpop 2011 was held from 11 to 13 June.
Lineup Mainstage 3FM Stage Converse Stage Saturday 11 June - De Staat- Lifehouse- Elbow- Coldplay - Manic Street Preachers- Simple Plan- Alter Bridge - Madi- Ash- Selah Sue Sunday 12 June - Hurts- Tim Knol-Wolfmother- White Lies- Kings of Leon -VersaEmerge- Justin Nozuka- Graffiti6- Avenged Sevenfold - The Garden of Love- Hanson- Cage the Elephant- Laura Jansen- The Bloody Beetroots - Death Crew 77 Monday 13 June - Scouting for Girls- Two Door Cinema Club- Go Back to the Zoo- Volbeat- Kaiser Chiefs- Foo Fighters - Plain White T's- Beatsteaks- The Gaslight Anthem- The Script- Thirty Seconds to Mars - Dazzled Kid- Eliza Doolittle- All Time Low- Band of Horses- deadmau5
2012 Pinkpop 2012 was held from 26 to 28 May.
Lineup Mainstage 3FM Stage Converse Stage Saturday 26 May - Moss- Kyuss Lives! - Anouk- The Cure - Major Tom- The Asteroids Galaxy Tour- The Ting Tings - Will and The People- The Afghan Whigs- Ben Howard Sunday 27 May - Babylon Circus- Racoon- The Kyteman Orchestra- Soundgarden- Linkin Park - The Bosshoss- Mastodon- The Wombats- Keane - Hungry Kids of Hungary- Bombay Bicycle Club- Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings- Chase & Status Monday 28 May - Gers Pardoel- Seasick Steve- The Specials- Mumford and Sons- Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band - Rival Sons- Blood Red Shoes- Herbert Grönemeyer- The Hives- James Morrison - Serena Pryne & The Mandeviles- Jonathan Jeremiah- Miike Snow- Chef’Special- Paul Kalkbrenner
At first Kasabian would perform as well, but they had to cancel due to private matters. Kyuss Lives! replaced Kasabian's spot, Moss covered Kyuss Lives!'s spot.
2013 Pinkpop 2013 was held from 14 to 16 June, the third time that it was not held on the weekend of Pentecost.
Lineup Mainstage 3FM Stage Brand Bier Stage Friday 14 June - Handsome Poets- Paramore- The Script- The Killers - Masters of Reality- Jimmy Eat World- Queens of the Stone Age - Christopher Green- Kodaline- Andy Burrows- Netsky Live Saturday 15 June - La Pegatina- Passenger- The Opposites- Thirty Seconds to Mars- Kings of Leon - Douwe Bob- Fun.- The Gaslight Anthem- Phoenix (French band) - Palma Violets- Graveyard- Miles Kane- Ellie Goulding- C2C Sunday 16 June - Kensington- Will and the People- The Vaccines- Ben Howard- Green Day - Tom Odell- Trixie Whitley- Blaudzun- Stereophonics- Triggerfinger - Puggy- Bastille- Lianne La Havas- Die Antwoord- Alt-J
2014 Pinkpop 2014 was held from 7 to 9 June .