First Winter Garden Festival in Haarlemmermeer

Lidwine Jocker does the marketing for Winter Garden 2024, among others, and she is responsible for the creative content. Tijmen Mense is involved in the festival as project leader.

From Amsterdam to Vijfhuizen

Why did the organizer choose Haarlemmermeer? “Winter Garden itself is not new. We have organized it twice before in Amsterdam. There was less space at that location, so the festival sold out quickly. We saw the possibilities to expand this concept and make it even more of an experience. That's why we started looking for spacious outdoor locations. That's how we ended up at the Groene Weelde in Haarlemmermeer. The festival is between Expo Vijfhuizen and Big Spotters Hill. The site itself is incredibly beautiful. When you walk around there you see a lot of nature. And that's what we're looking for. Because the site is ideally suited for our event, we entered into discussions with the Spaarnwoude Recreation Board. They said 'yes'. And that was good news, because we also have the potential to grow here. We want to organize great festivals here for a number of years to come,” says Tijmen Mense. 

Why is the festival unique?

Lidwine Jocker explains: “It is much more than a festival. We really create an experience. A day of something completely different, an experience for visitors where they can discover and be surprised by artists, street theater and decorations. Forget their daily worries for a moment in a place where they can be themselves. We transform the grounds into a magical, decorative Winter Garden. There is not only music, there is also interactive entertainment such as games with your friends or crafts. Of course, a wide range of food and drinks is available. You will find several food tricks. The festival offers something for everyone, an experience for everyone.”

Nice and warm in winter

To ensure that it is a warm experience, the organization works with tents. Lidwine: “The internships are set up in warm tents. We set it up spaciously, also with wooden floors for dancing. And of course beautifully decorated. Mystic Garden is the overarching concept from which we work. The garden is the safe haven where everything happens. At the Mystic Garden Stage we hang beautiful lamps in the roof. And the stage design is completely new. Outside we have canopies with fire pits, so you can chill with your friends around a campfire. We ensure that visitors are properly warm and sheltered. They will certainly also enjoy our line-up. There are many genres on the stages, such as melodic techno, techno and house. There is also a stage for only hits from the '80s, '90s and '00s. But the main focus is on (melodic) techno."

A regular item in Haarlemmermeer

Winter Garden will be a recurring festival. Tijmen: “With this festival we really want to try to create that magical winter feeling. That is the most important thing for us. A place where everyone can and wants to be themselves. It is the most magical winter festival there is. With a nice concept, a lot of amazement through, for example, the decor objects that we have made. So it's not just music. Visitors wander around the site, tell each other what they have seen and other visitors look for that experience. This way they discover new places that we have decorated to create the fairy tale of the festival.”  

Do you see yourself dancing at this spectacular winter festival? Then read more practical information about Winter Garden Festival in our agenda!