HAPPENING 5 JUL 2026 | Dunya Festival returns to Rotterdam in 2026 with a free one day edition in Zuiderpark. The revived festival brings music, food, stories, art and neighbourhood culture together on Rotterdam Zuid, with a programme that looks less like a nostalgic remake and more like a portrait of the city as it sounds today.
Dunya festival returns to Rotterdam Zuid
On Sunday 5 July 2026, Dunya Festival takes place in Zuiderpark in Rotterdam Zuid. The festival runs from 13:00 to 22:00 and entry is free. The new edition moves Dunya away from its former home in Het Park by the Euromast and places it in one of the largest green spaces on Zuid. The entrance is on the Vaanweg side of Zuiderpark, near the Ibis Styles hotel.
Dunya line-up and programme
Dunya’s 2026 programme is spread across seven places: El Dar, Laundería, Sala Ritmo, Atelier Dunya, Perron Firmeza, Telecom and Dunya Kids.
Confirmed names include Cheba Zahouania, Nila Collective, Noura Mint Seymali, Nusantara Beat, Grupo Pilon, Raïna Raï, Zina Radio, Balcony Players, Kasba, Luis Firmino & Band, Jay Mitta, Tera Kòrá, La Rouge, World of Nelly, Black Soil Film Festival and many more.
The musical mix ranges from raï, Afrobeat, Afro-electronica and Latin rhythms to diaspora sounds, brass, spoken word, film, visual art and children’s programming. Rather than presenting culture as something from far away, the new Dunya starts from Rotterdam itself: from its neighbourhoods, kitchens, clubs, markets, studios, families and communities.
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Weekend duo with reggae roots
Dunya is part of a wider music weekend in Zuiderpark. On Saturday 4 July 2026, Reggae Roots Rotterdam takes over the park from 12:00 to 23:00 with a paid festival focused on reggae, soulfood and cultural activities.
That line-up includes Sizzla Kalonji, Barrington Levy, Yellowman, Meta & The Cornerstones and Postmen. The next day, Dunya follows as a free festival in the same park.
Rotterdam Festivals has described this type of “weekender” approach as a way to share facilities, reduce production pressure and keep more events accessible on Zuid. A similar pairing later in the season links Baroeg Open Air with Fiesta Futura in Zuiderpark.
From Poetry Park to Zuiderpark
Dunya has deep roots in Rotterdam. Its story reaches back to Poetry Park, which began in the late 1970s and grew into a major free festival in Het Park by the Euromast, with poetry, storytelling, world music and food drawing tens of thousands of visitors.
In 2013, Dunya became part of Rotterdam Unlimited together with Zomercarnaval. The 2026 edition brings Dunya back as a separate festival with its own programme, while still sharing a broader commitment to cultural diversity in the city.
This is not simply the old Dunya copied into a new park. The organisers frame the return as a contemporary ode to Rotterdam, a city where more than 170 cultures live side by side and where new cultural forms are constantly being made.
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Why Dunya moves to the Zuiderpark
The choice for the Zuiderpark is connected to wider developments around festivals on Zuid and in Rotterdam's festival calendar in general. After Metropolis Festival stopped, space opened up in the July calendar on Zuid. Rotterdam Festivals and the municipality then looked for new and mostly free concepts that could strengthen the cultural offer in this part of the city.
Dunya now fills part of that space, together with other new or returning events. The result is a busier summer programme for Zuid, with Zuiderpark becoming an important stage for accessible outdoor culture.
How to get to Zuiderpark
Zuiderpark is located in Rotterdam Zuid, in the Charlois area, and should not be confused with Het Park by the Euromast. The park stretches between the Slinge and Vaanweg corridors and is surrounded by residential districts, sports fields and water features.
The area can be reached by metro via Zuidplein, combined with a short walk or bus connection towards the park entrances. Cyclists from the north side of the river can cross via the Erasmusbrug or Maastunnel and follow signposted routes into Zuid. Drivers use main roads such as Vaanweg and S102, but on busy festival days public transport and the bicycle are likely to be the most practical options.
