ROTTERDAM, 15 May 2026 – Good Times Festival, Boothstock, de Buik and Hilton have launched de Buik Tasting Plaza, a new food concept for this summer’s festivals in Kralingse Bos. The concept brings Rotterdam chefs, DJs, wine pairings and festival culture together, with a preview held at DoubleTree by Hilton Rotterdam Centre.
Image: Festival organiser Henk Witteveen and de Buik founder Gijsbregt Brouwer during the launch of de Buik Tasting Plaza. Photo: Good Times Festival.
The first edition of de Buik Tasting Plaza will appear at both Good Times Festival on Friday 12 June and Boothstock Festival on Saturday 13 June. Both events take place in Kralingse Bos, with Good Times focusing on soul, funk and R&B, while Boothstock returns with house, techno, urban and related electronic sounds.
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Festival food gets serious
The idea behind de Buik Tasting Plaza is simple: festival food can do more than keep you standing between sets. It can be part of the atmosphere, the music and the Rotterdam story of the day.
During the preview, invited guests were introduced to a food line-up built around chefs, local entrepreneurs and DJs with personal food stories. So yes, this is festival food with a little more ambition than a lonely cone of chips eaten while balancing a drink and pretending your shoes are still clean.
Chefs and DJs serve stories
DJ Prunk and DJ Irwan served personal Indonesian family dishes during the preview, with rendang and nasi kuning on the menu. Executive Chef Michael Verhagen of DoubleTree by Hilton Rotterdam Centre presented his signature dish.
Café De Wilde Mossel brought a tribute to mussels, OISTR served oysters and Threesixty Food presented elevated bites inspired by its popular sandwiches. The result was a preview of what the organisers want to bring into the festival field: familiar flavours, Rotterdam names and dishes with a bit of identity.
Pairings add extra flavour
The drinks side was treated as part of the concept, not an afterthought. Michel de Hey and Cynthia Spiering curated the wine selection together with Delta Wines.
DJ Carmen Lisa created alcohol-free pairings with a focus on balance and refinement. Heineken Witpils was served alongside lighter and maritime dishes, fitting the seafood elements from Café De Wilde Mossel and OISTR.
Rotterdam food culture takes stage
De Buik selected three food entrepreneurs that reflect the current Rotterdam food scene and fit the festival setting. Threesixty Food, run by former star chefs Kostas and Carlos, is known for sandwiches that regularly draw queues at the Oogstmarkt and Station Bergweg.
Café De Wilde Mossel, a newer name in Rotterdam-West, combines Belgian café classics with Italian finesse. OISTR brings oysters with a French-inspired feel, turning the classic festive bite into something that can work outdoors at a music festival.
Family dishes join the menu
Alongside the selected Rotterdam food businesses, de Buik Tasting Plaza also includes two family dishes connected to artists. DJ Irwan brings nasi kuning, while Prunk brings rendang.
That choice gives the concept a more personal layer. It is not only about premium bites or nicely plated snacks, but also about food memories, family kitchens and the kind of dishes that come with stories attached.
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Good Times comes to Kralingse Bos
Good Times Festival takes place on Friday 12 June in Kralingse Bos from 16:30 to 23:00. The festival brings soul, funk and R&B to Rotterdam, with a line-up including Sister Sledge, Candy Dulfer, Re-Play, Glennis Grace and an R&B Sing Along with DJ Irwan.
The festival is aimed at a broad 25 to 65+ audience and builds on the social, after-work energy of Good Times Rotterdam. Tickets are available via www.goodtimesfestival.nl.
Boothstock follows one day later
Boothstock Festival returns to Kralingse Bos on Saturday 13 June. The festival brings together house, techno, urban and everything in between across multiple stages, with names such as Armand van Helden, Benny Rodrigues, Cynthia Spiering, Hot Since 82, Irwan, Michel de Hey, Prunk and Mr. Belt & Wezol listed for 2026.
For Boothstock, de Buik Tasting Plaza adds a more food-led layer to a festival already built around electronic music, dancing and a big Rotterdam crowd under the trees. Tickets and festival information are available via www.boothstock.nl.
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Rotterdam festivals get tastier
The organisers see de Buik Tasting Plaza as a next step after the food truck wave that changed festival food more than a decade ago. Since then, city food culture has moved quickly, while festival food has not always kept pace.
That makes the Rotterdam angle important. This city has become much more confident about food, from neighbourhood cafés and sandwich queues to oysters, natural wine and chefs doing their own thing without too much fuss. Bringing that into a festival setting feels logical, and frankly, overdue.
How to get there
Good Times Festival and Boothstock both take place in Kralingse Bos, one of Rotterdam’s best-known outdoor festival locations. You can reach the area by bike from the city centre, by public transport via nearby Kralingen and Crooswijk connections, or by walking in from the edge of the park if you are coming from the east side of the city.
Event details
Concept: de Buik Tasting Plaza
Festivals: Good Times Festival and Boothstock Festival
Good Times Festival: Friday 12 June 2026, 16:30 to 23:00
Boothstock Festival: Saturday 13 June 2026
Location: Kralingse Bos, Rotterdam
Good Times tickets: www.goodtimesfestival.nl
Boothstock tickets: www.boothstock.nl
