Pinkpop 2026: a Weekend to Remember

Over the weekend of June 19th, Landgraaf’s Megaland yet again made space for one of the biggest festivals of the Netherlands: Pinkpop. While the festival would usually take place during the Pentecost weekend, this was not the case this year, as Pentecost happened way before the festival season took off. When scheduling the festival for this specific weekend, the organisation, of course, could not have known that it was going to be one of, if not the, hottest edition ever, with temperatures rising to nearly forty degrees Celsius. Thousands of sweaty visitors made their way to Landgraaf to get even sweatier during performances of both Dutch and international icons such as Foo Fighters, Twenty One Pilots, DI-RECT, Yungblud, and The Cure. 

Day 1: Friday June 19th

The weekend started on Friday with the doors to the festival grounds opening at 11 in the morning, although the first few performances wouldn’t start until a few hours later. First up was Natasha Bedingfield, known for songs such as ‘Pocketful of Sunshine’ and ‘These Words’, who got to grace the South Stage with the first performance of the weekend. There was definitely more than just a pocketful of sunshine shining down on the people watching her set, but despite that, they sang and danced along as much as they could stand. Especially during Bedingfield’s final song, the smash hit ‘Unwritten’, the crowd got loud. 

Bedingfield was one of many amazing women on the day’s line-up. Right after Bedingfield’s set ended, The Pretty Reckless took to the North Stage, situated on the opposite side of the field. Lead singer Taylor Momsen’s raspy vocals sounded out across the terrain as the band sang both older songs, such as ‘Make Me Wanna Die’, and newer ones like ‘For I Am Death’. While Momsen got on stage wearing her signature leather jacket, she quickly took it off, showing off a pretty soft pink satin dress. Pinkpop’s Friday also featured Dutch pop singer Roxy Dekker, who gave a colourful act on the South Stage, completed by dancers and special guest Kevin; all-female Canadian pop-rock band The Beaches, whose vocals and guitars filled the Tent; and no one less than Swedish It-girl of the moment, Zara Larsson. The latter gave an electrifying performance on the North Stage as the second-to-last act to perform that day, performing songs such as ‘Lush Life’ and ‘Midnight Sun’. As per usual, a fan was invited to join Larsson on stage to do the iconic ‘Lush Life’ dance.  

While the festival is called Pinkpop, this does not mean that it is exclusively a festival for acts that fit the pop genre, as was already evident by The Pretty Reckless being on today’s line-up. Several other notable alternative acts got to warm up the crowds even more. On the North Stage, German metalcore band Electric Callboy played an hour-long set that featured a lot of intense beats, outfit changes, and a small moshpit. The band played their own iconic songs such as ‘Pump It’ and ‘We Got The Moves’ as well as covers of songs by Sum 41 and Blink-182. For those who were interested in keeping this energy up, the American metalcore band The Plot In You turned up the heat on the Tent Stage less than thirty minutes after Electric Callboy’s set had come to an end. Finally, some quieter alternative rock could be found at the end of the night on Stage 4 thanks to VOILÀ. Quite a few fans of theirs could be easily spotted on the grounds of Megaland as they were easily recognizable by their bunny ears. It was no surprise, therefore, that the grass in front of this smallest stage was easily filled both by said fans as well as others who may have just wandered by or went to look for an alternative to the pop songs being played on the bigger stages. 

Finally, at 22:25, it was time for the last act of the Friday and the first headliner of the weekend: Twenty One Pilots. The alternative duo that consists of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun had many fans waiting for them the entire day, spending their hours attached to the barricade in front of the South Stage. Many of these fans had even come from abroad to watch the band play the first set of their European festival run. Drummer Josh Dun took to the stage first, quickly followed by Tyler Joseph wearing his signature mask as the two of them opened with ‘Overcompensate’ and ‘The Contract’.  During the latter, Joseph made it down towards the pit to stand on a platform in the middle of the crowd. Both he and Dun would be leaving the stage several times during the show, giving the performance a lot of extra dynamics. During ‘Drum Show’, for example, Dun climbed a tower on his right side, where a second drum kit had been placed for him to play his solo on. During ‘RAWFEAR’, Joseph stood on a raised platform on top of the crowd for the second time tonight, while Josh Dun continued to perform on top of his tower. As soon as both of them made it back, they continued the show with a haunting performance of their latest single, ‘Drag Path’, followed by the demo version of ‘Doubt’. During the latter, Joseph yet again wore a mask as he performed the song, mostly leaning back on a chair, leaving many fans in awe. After having removed the mask, Joseph moved all the way to a B-stage behind the pit to perform ‘Ride’, with the final part of this song played back on the main stage together with a young Mexican fan who had been invited to join the men. Twenty One Pilots finished their set with a cover of The White Stripes’ ‘Seven Nation Army’, to which the Dutch happily chanted along – although perhaps they were not singing the actual lyrics; their biggest hit ‘Stressed Out’; and of course, the ever-iconic ‘Trees’ that they have been ending their shows with for ages. It had begun to rain heavily during these final minutes, which led to Joseph asking if the fans even wanted them to perform the last song. Of course, everyone had been waiting for hours and was already so drenched at that point that it didn’t even matter anymore. So, Joseph and Dun made it down to their fans for one last time tonight, getting on top of their platforms to bang the drums along to the beat of ‘Trees’ as red confetti rained down upon the crowd. The night came to a banging ending, and a core memory has been formed for all of those in attendance. 

All pictures taken on Friday can be found here. 

Day 2: Saturday June 20th

The second day of Pinkpop started a little earlier, as it was now truly the weekend. Even though it was still very hot, the barricades for both stages were already filled with fans waiting for one of their favourite acts. While at the South Stage, most of those were waiting for headliner The Cure, those at the North Stage had to wait a little less long to see their favourite act, Lauren Spencer Smith, perform. The only act they had to go through first was Berlin-based indie rock band Giant Rooks, and this surely was no punishment as their vibe fit perfectly with the warm weather. Lead singer Frederik “Fred” Rabe moved easily across the stage in his fully black outfit as if the sun wasn’t even there. The band has gained many fans through social media, performing songs such as ‘Pink Skies’, ‘New Estate’, and, of course, their biggest song ‘Watershed’. They also performed their newest single, ‘The Waves’. The studio version features French singer Solann. As she was not in attendance, Rabe had to sing the French lyrics himself, despite not actually knowing the language. Fortunately for him, those in the crowd didn’t know French either, so even if he did mess up, no one would have noticed. Their set formed a joyful start to the day and got many fans dancing along, with more and more people joining the crowd throughout the hour. 

Lauren Spencer Smith played the same stage just over an hour later, and it was evident that the entire barricade was truly filled with her biggest fans. They screamed along to every single word. While Smith’s show was a lot less upbeat, because most of her songs are painful ballads about heartbreak and mental health issues, it still fits really well at Pinkpop. As stated by the presenter beforehand, Pinkpop is also meant “to feel” the music. Smith’s words clearly hit close to home for her fans. In a long-sleeved tartan dress and sunglasses that made the Canadian singer-songwriter look effortlessly cool, Smith performed newer songs such as ‘IF KARMA DOESN’T GET YOU (I WILL)’, hits such as ‘Flowers’, and even a cover of ABBA’s ‘The Winner Takes It All’. On the other side of the field, a mere five minutes after Smith’s set had come to an end, Dutch pop duo and power couple Suzan & Freek made their way to the stage. Considering they are one of the biggest acts in the country right now, the field was easily filled by those wanting to watch them perform their music. More fun pop music could be found on the Tent Stage later in the day, when English singer-songwriter Alessi Rose took to the stage at 18:45. The LED screen behind the young singer showed a design of stained glass windows showcasing nude statues and the singer’s name, a cross above them, as if the audience had just entered a church. During the next hour, Rose performed a multitude of songs from her different EPs as well as her newest single, ‘Skin’. The singer even made it down to the barricade to be able to interact with the fans who filled out the front row. 

While Alessi Rose’s set had been incredibly fun to watch, the tent didn’t fill up, possibly because IDLES was performing on the North Stage at the same time, and possibly because the Dutch football team was playing Sweden at that exact moment. The tent had been way fuller earlier in the day for alternative acts Jehnny Beth and The Haunted Youth, so maybe the Pinkpop fans were just looking for rock music instead of pop. This could also be found on this day in the acts LEAP, Franz Ferdinand, and Editors. London-based rock band LEAP performed on Stage 4 at the end of the afternoon, giving their fans a sweaty show as they encouraged them to bounce along to songs such as ‘Where The Silence Goes’ and ‘Exit Signs’. LEAP even managed to get someone to crowdsurf, and lead singer Jack Scott also made it into the crowd himself to mosh with everyone. A mere 40 minutes later, Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand got to perform on the South Stage, followed only an hour later by English rock band Editors. 

Finally, the day began to reach its conclusion as it was time for the final acts to grace the North and South Stages. At 20:55, American singer-songwriter Halsey took to the North Stage, explaining halfway through her set that she almost had to cancel this show due to her flight having issues. She only got to Pinkpop fifteen minutes before! Despite the delay, her show seemingly went flawlessly as the singer dominated the stage. A set of white stairs and a white arch were set up in the middle of the set for Halsey to interact with, and the front of the stage formed a barrier of flames during several songs on the evening’s setlist. While most people know Halsey because of softer, more poppy songs such as ‘Without Me’ and ‘Colors’, which she did both play, they mostly performed their heavier songs during this performance, which she herself dubbed ‘The Girl in the Tower’. For example, the set included the metal-sounding songs ‘Nightmare’ and ‘Experiment on Me’,  with Halsey asking the audience to forfeit their politeness and go absolutely crazy. Finally, she ended her set with ‘Lonely is the Muse’ before rushing off stage a bit later than scheduled. 

On the other side of the field, the headliner of the day was about to take to the stage. English rock band The Cure has graced Pinkpop with their presence several times before, and they still managed to mesmerize the audience for a full two hours as the sun set. Led by singer Robert Smith, The Cure managed to play a whopping 23 songs, each one flowing effortlessly into the next as if the men never stopped playing. Their most well-known songs were obviously all played, including ‘Just Like Heaven’,  ‘A Forest’, ‘Friday I’m in Love’, and ‘Boys Don’t Cry’, which they ended the night with. Stunning visuals on the screen behind the band lit up the crowd in an array of colours throughout the set, and the Pinkpop audience was clearly enjoying this lovely end to the second day. 

All pictures taken on Saturday can be found here. 

Day 3: Sunday June 21st

On Sunday, the day started with…a comedy show? Icelandic singer Daði Freyr, best known for taking part in the 2021 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, took to the Tent Stage right at the beginning of the afternoon. On stage, it was just him and his keyboard, but behind him on the LED screen, there were a lot more Daði Freyrs. During each song, funny graphics of him dancing, playing instruments, and turning into butterflies were displayed. In between, Freyr explained that he was actually sick, so if he said something stupid, it wasn’t actually him! Lots of little jokes were made in between the upbeat pop songs. Freyr wrote a song specifically for Pinkpop; performed his Eurovision songs ‘10 Years’ and ‘Think About Things’; and ended the set with very fitting covers of Vengaboys’ ‘Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!’ and Joost’s ‘Europapa’. 

At 13:05, Dutch singer Bente got to open the South Stage on the last day of Pinkpop, a dream come true according to the singer herself. As she said, ten years ago, she had been in the audience of Pinkpop herself, watching Rammstein perform, manifesting that one day, it would be her turn. Today was that day. On stage, a pink-and-silver house-shaped frame stood, and a swing had been set up next to it. While she sat on it multiple times, the swing only went up once. Bente was safely secured as she sang ‘Hoogtevrees’ all the way above the stage, looking out over the field. Despite most of Bente’s songs being relatively slow, often sad ballads, the energy was through the roof whenever possible. For ‘Laat je gezicht zien’, near the end of the hour-long set, Bente even made it down into the crowd to participate in a moshpit, just like she did ten years ago. Finally, she ended the show with the softer ‘Kan je me zien’. The production for this set was exceptional. Bente really knew how to get the crowd to feel all her emotions, whether sad or happy. Another act that really got through to the crowd was Good Neighbours. This feel-good indie duo from London performed on the Tent Stage, turning the entire area into one big party. Oli Fox and Scott Verrill played banger after banger, with Fox even making it down to the audience to interact with their fans. Of course, they played their biggest hit, ‘Home,’ near the end of the set, getting everyone to sing along. 

Yet again, there was also space for a lot of alternative music, maybe the most out of all three days. American alternative rock band Dogstar managed to get the Tent to fill up, though many in attendance might have just watched to catch a glimpse of their bassist, actor Keanu Reeves. They stayed, however, for the music. Lead singer Bret Domrose didn’t really interact with his audience, but this didn’t diminish the quality of the performance. On the other side, on Stage 4, HotWax kicked off their set right as Dogstar’s ended. This alternative rock trio from England was absolutely ready to shred, with their heavy riffs sounding out over the field. Later on, all-female rock band Die Spitz took to the same stage. The band released their debut album in September of last year and was absolutely ready to show Pinkpop a good time. 

As Pinkpop was coming to an end, the two bigger stages both drew a lot of fans. On the slightly smaller North Stage, the audience could enjoy performances by indie rock band Wet Leg, who have risen to fame over the past few years due to both their amazing music as well as their stage presence, and Dutch band DI-RECT, best known for their song ‘Soldier On’. Both acts delivered great performances. 

Unfortunately for them, both acts might have gained an even bigger audience if it hadn’t been for the final two acts on the South Stage. First up was Yungblud, who might have given Pinkpop the craziest performance of the entire weekend. Clad in just leather pants and a leather vest that only lasted one song, the singer immediately started with the longest song he’s ever released, ‘Hello Heaven, Hello’. The confetti canons went off right away, raining down on the fans just like the rays of sun were doing. As is tradition at Yungblud shows nowadays, a fan got to join the singer on stage to perform ‘fleabag’ with him. The fan chosen for tonight’s performance was clearly made for this and effortlessly played the song, as well as forming an integral part of it. Yungblud himself made it down to the audience to crowdsurf a little during the song. As soon as the fan had left the stage and the singer himself had made it back onto it, Yungblud asked the audience to get up on one another’s shoulders for ‘Lowlife’. This was followed by a cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘Changes’, also a tradition at this point, as Ozzy Osbourne was a true mentor for the singer. Finally, Yungblud ended tonight’s show with ‘Loner’ and ‘Zombie’. 

Last, but certainly not least, it was time for Foo Fighters to close off this Pinkpop weekend. As lead singer Dave Grohl would say himself during the set, they would use the two hours to the full advantage and attempt to play as many songs as possible, so the singer would not be talking too much in between. He wasn’t entirely silent either, though, interacting with the audience as much as possible while getting through the 19-song long setlist. Grohl has managed to find a perfect balance, asking the audience to scream for him, dedicating a song to fans with their fathers at the front of the stage, and running from one end of the stage to the other to get as close to everyone as possible. The setlist included Foo Fighters’ most well-known songs, such as ‘The Pretender’, ‘Learn to Fly’, ‘Monkey Wrench’, and of course, ‘Best of You’. Some slower, more haunting songs were also played. For example, Grohl dedicated ‘Aurora’ to the band’s late drummer, Taylor Hawkins, and sang the ten-minute long ‘The Teacher’, which he wrote about his mother. The audience was mesmerized the entire time, with Grohl even joking at one point that they were the quietest audience of the whole tour, which he was in awe of. All the fans in attendance, from teenagers to people in their sixties, maybe even seventies, were clearly enjoying seeing Foo Fighters, a band whose last performance in the country was also at Pinkpop, a whopping eight years ago. The night, and so the festival, came to an end when the last notes of ‘Everlong’ sounded out over the field. Truly a weekend that everybody in attendance would never forget. 

All pictures taken on Sunday can be found here