HAPPENING 14 MAR–12 APR 2026 | Music on Mars brings a VR concert experience to Rotterdam that asks a strange and fascinating question: what would live music sound like on Mars? Using a virtual environment built from real images and video of the red planet, DoelenEnsemble turns this into one of the more unusual music experiences you’ll find in the city this month.
This is not a regular concert with a futuristic theme pasted on top. During the session, you wear a VR headset and experience the music inside a Mars-inspired setting, where sound, space and perspective are meant to feel radically different from Earth.
Music on Mars (Muziek op Mars)
That shift matters more than it may seem at first. The whole idea is built around how sound changes with environment, perspective and physical context. Instead of sitting in a regular concert hall, you enter a VR setting where space and time feel altered, and where the music becomes part of a wider sensory experience.
The programme features Die Zeit by Rabinovitch and Between Tides by Takemitsu. Performed inside this Mars-inspired setting, the works are framed less as a standard recital and more as an immersive encounter with sound itself. The emphasis is on what happens when music is detached from the concert hall and placed somewhere your body knows is impossible, but your senses still accept for a while.
This is also not the kind of event where you can just stroll in late and settle down. The organisers stress that you need to arrive exactly five minutes before your slot, with earlier arrival not possible because each session is carefully set up and guided. You remain seated during the experience, and because it involves a VR headset, it may be less suitable for visitors with balance issues, strong sensitivity to visual stimuli, serious claustrophobia, or difficulty wearing VR equipment.
In other words, this is one for people who enjoy the edges of what a concert can be. Rotterdam does this kind of thing well: taking music out of its usual frame and giving it a strange new setting that changes how you listen.
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Event details
Event: Muziek op Mars
Date shown: 14 March through 12 April 2026
Time: 11:00–22:00
Location: HBS, ’s-Gravendijkwal 58, 3014 EE Rotterdam, Netherlands
Format: VR concert experience
Programme: Rabinovitch – Die Zeit; Takemitsu – Between Tides
Credits: Maarten van Veen (piano), Shannon Lee (violin), Maya Fridman (cello), Laurens de Boer (celesta)
Practical information
Please arrive exactly five minutes before the start of your session.
Wear comfortable clothing and avoid overly warm outfits.
The experience takes place in a seated setting.
Visitors with certain health concerns, including balance problems, severe claustrophobia or strong sensitivity to visual stimuli, are advised to contact the organisers in advance.
The event may be less suitable for people who struggle with wearing a VR headset.
Ticket note
The event page mentions these discount codes:
DUOMARS20 – 20% off when buying 2 tickets
SOLOMARS50 – 50% off for visitors up to age 30
How to get there
HBS is on ’s-Gravendijkwal, close to the city centre and within easy reach from Rotterdam Centraal and the Museumpark side of town. If you are coming by public transport, this part of Rotterdam is straightforward by tram, metro and a short walk. Cycling is also an easy option, especially if you are already in the centre or Rotterdam-West.
