ROTTERDAM, 8 January 2026 – Baroeg has launched a crowdfunding campaign called Back Baroeg to pay for the interior fit-out of its new venue. The new building is expected to be delivered in early 2026, but it will be handed over as a shell, so Baroeg still needs to finish the inside.
Photo credit: Diederen Dirrix
The municipality of Rotterdam commissioned the new building, and Baroeg says it will meet today’s requirements for a live music venue, with spaces for gigs, artists, and a café area.
Baroeg launches Back Baroeg crowdfunding campaign in Rotterdam
The campaign is meant to cover the final, practical part of the move: turning a newly built shell into a working venue with the right equipment and facilities. Baroeg says a large part of the fit-out is already funded, but not all of it.
If you have spent nights at Baroeg over the years, this is the moment where the new place stops being “a building” and becomes “a venue”, with the details that shape how a night actually feels.
A concert hall, café and backstage areas
Baroeg says the new building will include a concert hall, a stage, backstage facilities such as a loading dock and dressing rooms with toilets and showers, plus a kitchen, a green room, a café, bars in both the hall and café, toilets, offices, and an entrance area. The venue adds that the building will be delivered as a shell, which means the interior still needs to be set up and equipped by Baroeg itself.
Reserve and fundraising cover much, but the fit-out still needs extra money
Baroeg says it is financing a large part of the interior using a designated reserve. It describes that reserve as largely made up of subsidies received in advance through the municipality’s cultural plan, alongside Baroeg’s own saved funds from donations, profitable concerts, and contributions from Vrienden van Baroeg.
The organisation also says it has secured additional funding through fundraising, but that extra money is still needed to match the quality of the interior to the quality of the building. The biggest cost pressure, according to Baroeg, is technical equipment. The venue points to sound and lighting as essential for the audience experience, and says it wants to avoid cutting back there.
That is why Baroeg is asking its community to contribute to the final part of the build-out, with the campaign framed as the last step needed to get the new venue fully ready.
Baroeg launches Back Baroeg crowdfunding in Rotterdam to fund the interior fit-out, including key sound and lighting, as the new building nears delivery. Photo credit: Diederen Dirrix
Where you can donate to the Baroeg crowdfunding
Baroeg directs you to its campaign page for donations and more information: www.baroeg.nl/backbaroeg.
