In Holland, music is very much a part of Dutch culture as every major city or middle-sized town has concert halls specifically for classical, pop or jazz music. Music venues in the Netherlands have been instrumental in successfully propagating Dutch pop culture in the country.
Around 50 of the large music venues get their funding from the federal government, as approved by the Muziek Centrum Nederland.There are independent music venues as well, but they obtain funding through the help of community theaters and different cultural centers. Partners or collaborators facilitate a musical event by acting as sponsors of stage productions.
The ten biggest, music-dedicated venues in the country are AFAS Live, Effenaar in Eindhoven, Doornroosje in Nijmegen.Melkweg, Patronaat in Haarlem, Paradiso in Amsterdam, Paard van Troje in The Hague, Tivoli in Utrecht and Ziggo Dome.
Glimpses of Pop Culture Concert Venues in North Holland
In North Holland in Haarlemmermeer, two of the most popular music venues are The Patronaat in Harleem City and the Poppodium Duycker in the town of Hoofddorp.
The Patronaat
The Patronaat for one, is a lot more than just a staging facility because it fulfills several roles in the development of talent and propagation of Dutch pop culture. Although Patronaat was originally a music theater for a Catholic boys’ school, it has evolved and grown into a core stage with 300 club members. Since 1984, the venue has facilitated hundreds of activities attended by about 130,000 visitors every year.
To date, it’s still looking for new faces and fresh talents with innovative ideas and knowledge in enhancing and boosting their music productions and programmes. This Dutch theater in Haarlem has dozens of collaboration partners, particularly those who find the city’s pop culture appealing.
Poppodium Duycker
Poppodium Duycker is the most popular stage for Dutch pop culture in Hoofddorp. Actually, Hoofddrop is a reclaimed area, founded in 1853 as the main town of Haarlemmermeer after the lake was drained to accommodate the expansion projects of North Holland.
Proof that Dutch pop music has come of age in North Holland is that in Hoofddorp alone, Poppodium Duycker organizes as many as 200 events yearly. Initiated as a project by The Duycker Foundation in 2010, the concert hall doors opened in 2011 and since then has held festivals, live concerts, open stages, dance parties, jam sessions and café concerts.
The Duycker music venue has two concert halls. One is large enough to play host to as many as 750 visitors, while the other is smaller and can accommodate 250 guests. However, since Hoofddorp is a vintage polder town, visitors should choose their lodging houses well for proper heating and plumbing systems.
- Nevertheless, faulty heating and plumbing systems in this old Dutch town is not a problem situation because a certified loodgieter Hoofddorp professional can be called upon any time of day (24/7).