Last weekend (6/7/8 October) I went to volunteer a local festival as a stage manager. It’s run by a group of squatters who have been living together for the past 26(?) years. Having been evicted from the location they were previously living on for 26 years, they found a new spot in the north and continue to run many community based projects from permaculture, to kids clubs to music festivals. Over the last 6 years of living in Amsterdam, this side to the city has absolutely become my favourite part, and many of the people who live there are good friends of mine.

Squatting is for many a crime. However in the Netherlands it’s become an effective form of direct action against the gentrification of the city and the immense housing crisis that is facing the whole country, but in particular Amsterdam. The people who run these spaces work incredibly hard both in the political realm and at home to make these spaces open, accessible, and a haven for many of us who cannot otherwise access cultural spaces due to not having the right network of people or for financial reasons or because what they would like to perform/showcase does not have commercial value.

Anyway I wanted to look at the space with more of an open eye to how a space could run with little to no income and a festival that was entirely volunteer run.

The festival had multiple stages, activities, 3 or 4 food stands and a free shop (a place to exchange stuff, for free!).

Speaking to visitors, people cited reasons for volunteering such as

• It’s fun
• Get to meet many interesting people
• Get to learn new skills
• See exciting performances, that you might not get to see at more commercial venues
• financially accessible
  
  

Seeing this festival was encouraging, because it showed me there is a market for my idea.

Reference list:

https://hetgroeneveld.amsterdam/
https://hetgroeneveld.amsterdam/en/event/metal-morphosis-friday/