Petition launched as Rotterdam festivals face funding cuts

A petition opposing a proposed cut to Rotterdam's festival funding has drawn more than 3,000 signatures, with organizers warning that some events could disappear entirely if the plan goes through.

Rotterdam City Council proposed a 656,000-euro annual cut to its cultural events budget in July, amounting to roughly a 20 percent reduction in funding for festivals in the city. The petition, launched by "visitors, creators, and organisations from the Rotterdam culture and festival sector," argues that the cuts threaten spaces the city depends on. "Festivals are places that connect people, that offer Rotterdammers space for meeting, relaxation, and a mental outlet," it reads.

Individual festivals have added their own warnings. Dance music event Nous'klaer Festival said "festivals like ours cannot exist on ticket sales alone," pointing to a moment when its own event was cancelled at the last minute and the city's Rotterdam Festivals organization stepped in to support it. Street art festival ALL CAPS raised similar concerns, noting that "behind almost every festival in this city is an organisation that supports makers, enables new initiatives and keeps culture accessible to everyone."

The petition asks the council to revise the proposed cuts and instead invest further in what it calls the "Rotterdam festival landscape," arguing the move would keep the events functioning as gathering spaces in line with the city's own coalition agreement.

The petition will remain open for signatures until November 4, giving organizers several more months to build pressure on the council before any final funding decision.