Defqon.1 cuts weekend short as extreme heat forces rare cancellation in the Netherlands

The extreme heat wave sweeping Europe has forced organizers of Defqon.1, the world’s largest hardstyle festival and one of the biggest music festivals overall, to cancel the remaining days of the event in the Netherlands. The festival normally draws more than 250,000 visitors each year.

On Thursday night, Dutch authorities issued a red weather code for the first time in history, warning of severe conditions and temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius. After initially announcing a partial change that would bar daily ticket holders and admit only those with full weekend passes, the organizers later decided to stop the rest of the festival altogether. The notice came shortly after the first day ended, around 11 p.m. local time.

Q-dance, the hardstyle giant that produces the event, said it was devastated by the decision. “We are completely crushed by this development,” the company wrote, noting that tens of thousands of “Weekend Warriors” were already in the camping area, many having traveled from far away and prepared for months. It said the cancellation is painful not only for attendees but also for artists, staff and everyone who worked for the past year to make the edition happen.

The company said the camping area and part of the festival grounds would stay open so people could organize their departure, all essential facilities would keep operating, and ticket buyers would receive a full refund. More compensation details will be announced later. A festivalgoer identified as Maor told mako that about 50 Israelis were spread across the campsite and were all frustrated. He said this felt especially hard for some, after many had already missed last year’s event because of the war with Iran. He also said there were protests by locals in the campsite, security struggled to control the situation, and people broke things and breached barriers, including the one leading to the main stage.