In 2020, it will be 750 years since the dam was laid in the Rotte. A historic moment for the creation of Rotterdam! To mark this milestone, Museum Rotterdam and Archeologie Rotterdam (BOOR), are organizing the exhibition '750 years Rotte | dam'.
Using various archaeological objects, texts and visual material - including special photographs, drawings and two new documentaries - various stories will be told in the expo. Learn everything about ships and locks, immerse yourself in the world of water management, and marvel at the history of Rotterdam. The top piece in the expo is a punter, a boat that was used to close the dam in the Rotte and was found during archaeological research in 1991.
At the beginning of the nineties, Rotterdam archaeologists were investigating the dam from which Rotterdam owes its name. Deep in the construction pit of the Willemsspoortunnel they make a sensational discovery: there is a complete boat under the dam! The punter-like vessel was used to close the last hole. The ship's wood also reveals when the dam was built: around 1270. This small ship, which created our city 750 years ago, is now on display for the first time in Museum Rotterdam!
The ship is a sensational Rotterdam relic: the punter is - almost literally - the basis of our world port city. The first Rotterdammers built their houses on the dam in the Rotte. Besides the original punter, the exhibition shows the centuries-old connection between Rotterdam, shipping and water management. From the ingenious drainage sluices in the medieval dam to the latest rain radar and smart roofs.
Visiting the 750 Years Rotte | dam expo
The exhibition 750 years Rotte | dam can be seen in Museum Rotterdam, from 5 September to 21 March 2021 and is a collaboration with Archeologie Rotterdam (BOOR) and is further made possible by Mondriaanfonds and Ik in 010.
Voet aan de Grond
In the adjacent Halvemaanpassage another expo will open on September 5th: Voet aan de Grond. A very nice addition to our project, and only 25 meters away!
For all activities around the theme 750 years dam in the Rotte, please visit www.ookditisderotte.nl.
The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and Y.M.P. join forces for the programme 'To be', which will take place on 24 and 25 September in the Doelen in Rotterdam. The concert is a crossover between hip-hop and classical music, with music, spoken word, theatre and visual images.
Ongoing collaboration Y.M.P. and Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
The Rotterdam orchestra and the spoken word artist worked together earlier this year. This is when they discovered the common ground that forms the basis for these concerts. On Liberation Day a video was launched by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra: an ode to freedom, in which four Rotterdam artists participated. One of them was the spoken word artist Y.M.P.
Now the collaboration will be continued with a full evening programme in de Doelen during which newly composed works by Y.M.P. and an exceptional composer will be presented.
New forms for a wide audience
For the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra the collaboration is a logical next step. "We would like to translate the innovative online musical experiences, which have done very well on video in recent months, into a live experience. That's a creative track that we're setting out for ourselves, in addition to everything we continue to do online. Entering into the experiment, that's what we've been interested in for some time now. And it suits us to make a little more room for it now," says director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra George Wiegel.
Y.M.P.: "This collaboration is a dream come true. From the beginning of my career, I have always said that I will someday make music for the orchestra. Those were big words, time to turn it into great deeds. In this production, classical music and hip-hop become a whole".
The concerts will take place in de Doelen on 24 and 25 September. More information on the website of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.
On 25 January 2020, Jazz International Rotterdam presents RAUW; a jazz evening full of exciting improvisations, genre crossovers, weird sounds and rock-hard grooves.
About RAUW
RAUW is the EP release of ROEST's new EP, titled 'Inloopmuziek.' Band leader and drummer Ruud Voesten didn't just want to present his own work. He also wanted to show the scene in which his music is embedded. At RAUW, the bands and guest artists are aiming to break down the walls of conformism between jazz, rock and electronics. Improvisation, the core of jazz, is preserved, but the tools have been renewed. Expect bold guitar riffs, synthesizers and solid beats in a showcase of the Rotterdam scene with musicians who are averse to being pigeonholed.
Together with Jazz International Rotterdam, Ruud came up with a shortlist of bands and made a tour of Rotterdam to find the most suitable location (Roodkapje).
Artist Line-up
FAST D
The Celestial Turkey
Soil Painting
ROEST (with Ruud Voesten)
Ruud Voesten (ROEST) will present his band's newest EP, titled Inloopmuziek. Special guest artists performing are Jimmi Hueting (Jo Goes Hunting), Stefan Lievestro (Mona Lisa Overdrive), Dario Trapani (Marcellis & Darieaux ), Denis Baeten (MILD) and Jelle Roozenburg (New Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra).
Timetable
20:00 - Doors 20:30 – FAST D 21:15 – The Celestial Turkey 21:45 – Soil Painting 22:30 – The Celestial Turkey 23:00 – ROEST 00:00-02:00 – DJ
Want to know more? Keep an eye on the festival's website or Facebook event for the latest news.
In The Grip of Winter Fest is an annual metal music event that gets better every year. Get ready for a day of heavy music in Baroeg. Expect black metal, death metal and more with an international line-up from the underground scene.
In The Grip of Winter fest
In 2020, the third edition of the third edition of the In The Grip Of Winter Fest features bands in various styles, from black metal to death metal and speed metal:
Archgoat (FI black)
Entrails (SE death)
Pentacle (NL death)
Bütcher Speed Metal (BE speed)
Ceremony - (NL death)
Doodswens (NL black)
In The Grip of Winter - event details
In The Grip of Winter
Place: Baroeg Spinozaweg 300, 3076 ET Rotterdam
Date(s) & Time(s): 23 February 2020 | 15:00
Featuring: Entrails, Pentacle, Bütcher, Archgoat, Ceremony, Death Wish Entrance/Tickets: Pre-sale: €19 At the gate: €20
Rotterdam will host the 65th Eurovision Song Contest. The European music spectacle will take place in May of 2020. It is the fifth time that the event will be held in the Netherlands.
POSTPONED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED AS THE RESULT OF THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK. MORE INFO TO FOLLOW WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE.
Securing the Eurovision 2020 Song Contest is great for Rotterdam. In May 2020, thousands of international fans will descend on the city, visit its bars, eat at its restaurants, sleep in its hotels and interact with its great, fun-loving residents. It's also a homecoming of sorts, as 2019 winner Duncan Laurence is also from Rotterdam.
It's the fifth time that the Netherlands is hosting Eurovision. The Netherlands previously hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 1958 (Hilversum), 1970 (Amsterdam) as well as in 1976 and 1980 (The Hague). Past Dutch winners were Corry Brokken (1957), Teddy Scholten (1959), Lenny Kuhr (1969), Teach-In (1975) and Duncan Laurence (2019).
The 2020 Eurovision will be held exactly 40 years since the Netherlands last hosted the contest in 1980, without winning. The reason why the Netherlands hosted in 1980 is that 1979-winners Israel decided not to participate in 1980, while runner-up Spain turned down the responsibility to host the contest.
Eurovision Village 2020 revealed
What's a large international event without a fan zone? At Eurovision 2020, the fan zone, Eurovision Village, will be set up on the Binnenrotte. That's the area in front of the iconic Markthal. What to expect at the Eurovision Village? Big screens, broadcasting the three live shows. There are also going to be live performances by various (past and present) Eurovision artists.
In Rotterdam, the Binnenrotte is the home of the twice weekly open air fresh market. During the festival, some sections of the market will move to another area (Meent).
Rotterdam Open Air Market at Binnenrotte
Eurovision 2020 slogan revealed
"Open Up," that's the official slogan for the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam. Open up what? Music? Rotterdam? That's actually up to you. Organisers have left the slogan incomplete. 'Open Up' reflects the fact that the Netherlands is a very open society in which people speak their minds with respect for one another.
Eurovision 2020 stage revealed
The design of the stage for Eurovision 2020 has been revealed. The stage, designed by Florian Wieder, is said to be inspired by the flat Dutch landscape as well as the event's theme "Open Up."
Eurovision 2020 Rotterdam stage inspired by Dutch landscape
“The design is innovative, modest and functionally smart. This way we can create a completely different look for each of the 41 participating acts, opening and interval acts, and during the voting results. We’ll present an innovative stage design, grand in its simplicity and yet full of surprises." - Sietse Bakker, Executive Eurovision Song Contest 2020
Countries participating in Eurovision 2020 Rotterdam
A total of 41 countries will be participating in Eurovision 2020. Public broadcasters from these 41 countries will also take part in transmitting the musical spectacle to screens all across the world.
Of these 41 countries, 35 will participate in the semi-finals. So what about the other six? Well, five countries, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, also known as the Big Five, always qualify automatically. This is because they are the five biggest financial sponsors of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The Netherlands, as host and winner of the previous edition, also gets a free pass to the grand final.
Albania (RTSH)
Armenia (AMPTV)
Australia (SBS)
Austria (ORF)
Azerbaijan (Ictimai TV)
Belarus (BTRC)
Belgium (VRT)
Bulgaria (BNT)
Croatia (HRT)
Cyprus (CyBC)
Czech Republic (CT)
Denmark (DR)
Estonia (ERR)
Finland (YLE)
France (FT)
Germany (ARD/NDR)
Georgia (GPB)
Greece (ERT)
Iceland (RUV)
Ireland (RTE)
Israel (IPBC/KAN)
Italy (RAI)
Latvia (LTV)
Lithuania (LRT)
Malta (PBS)
Moldova (TRM)
The Netherlands (AVROTROS)
North Macedonia (MKRTV)
Norway (NRK)
Poland (TVP)
Portugal (RTP)
Romania (TVR)
Russia (Channel One)
San Marino (RTV)
Serbia (RTS)
Slovenia (RTVSLO)
Spain (TVE)
Sweden (SVT)
Switzerland (SRG SSR)
Ukraine (UA:PBC)
United Kingdom (BBC)
Artists performing at Eurovision 2020 Rotterdam
The artists that have been announced so far are:
Hooverphonic (Belgium)
Blas Cantó (Spain)
Vincent Bueno (Austria)
Arilena Ara (Albania)
Jeangu Macrooy (Netherlands)
Vasil (North Macedonia)
Tornike Kipiani (Georgia)
Athena Manoukian (Armenia)
Ulrikke (Norway)
Diodato (Italy)
Roxen (Romania)
Eden Alene (Israel)
Sandro (Cyprus)
Destiny Chukunyere (Malta)
Tom Leeb (France)
The Roop (Lithuania)
Samanta Tina (Latvia)
Montaigne (Australia)
Stefania (Greece)
Benny Cristo (Czech Republic)
Alicja Szemplińska (Poland)
Ana Soklič (Slovenia)
Go_A (Ukraine)
Jeangu Macrooy to represent The Netherlands at Eurovision 2020 in Rotterdam
Jeangu Macrooy to represent The Netherlands
Jeangu Macrooy (Suriname, 1993) started playing guitar at age 13 in his native country of Suriname. After moving to The Netherlands in 2014 he started performing professionally as part of Unexpected Records. To date, Jeangu has released two albums and sold out shows in clubs all over The Netherlands. Jeangu hopes Eurovision 2020 will propel him into a successful international music career.
Eurovision 2020 presenters
Four presenters for Eurovision 2020 Song Contest have been announced. Edsilia Rombley is a singer who has represented the Netherlands at Eurovision twice before. Chantal Janzen is a well known actress and Jan Smit is one of the Netherlands' most popular singers. The most recent addition to the team is Nikkie de Jager, known worldwide as NikkieTutorials. The 25-year-old YouTube star, recently in the international news because of her revelation that she is transgender, will primarily be the 'online host' of the Song Contest. She's mainly going to host a YouTube series featuring the Eurovision artists, but will make television appearances as well.
In the photo below: from left to right, Edsilia Rombley, Chantal Janzen and Jan Smit.
Eurovision 2020 presenters Edsilia Rombley Chantal Janzen and Jan Smit
Why Rotterdam is hosting the Eurovision Song Contest
Rotterdam faced fierce competition from Maastricht. The southern city put its best foot forward and tried to claim the song contest. However, as we all know, Rotterdam is the place to be!
According to the Eurovision organizers, the quality of the venue for the event was the biggest criteria in choosing a host city. Rotterdam Ahoy, with its extensive track record, decades of experience and amazing facilities was simply the best option. To quote one journalist, Rotterdam's venue is basically 'plug & play,' whereas the relatively inexperienced MECC Maastricht venue would have had to install everything from scratch. Organizers weren't willing to take that risk.
Insiders had previously indicated that the European Broadcasting Union (which traditionally makes the final decision) had a strong preference for Maastricht. Especially because the city is a symbol for Europe (with the Maastricht Treaty). There were also doubts about whether Rotterdam with its larger distances could radiate sufficient unity. Nonsense if you ask us. In Rotterdam, public transportation is on fleek and Rotterdam Ahoy is only 15 minutes from central station.
In recent years, Rotterdam Ahoy has hosted events such as the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2007 and the European MTV Awards 2016. Rotterdam, being the bigger city, also offers a wide range of accommodation. Moreover, Rotterdam has two international airports nearby: Rotterdam The Hague Airport (10mins) and Schiphol (30mins).
Eurovision 2020 host city announcement
The host city was announced on August 30th, 2019 with this video featuring Duncan Laurence, the winner of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest.
The winning performance by Duncan (2019) (embed)
Check out Duncan Laurence's winning performance at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest.
Tickets to Eurovision 2020 Rotterdam
Tickets officially went on sale on 12 December 2019. It appears that tickets are being sold in waves. You can try to get your tickets on Viagogo whenever they are made available.
It is the intention of the city that residents with a Rotterdam Pass will be able to get the tickets at a discount. In total, there will be tickets to nine shows on six dates:
Monday, 11 May 2020 • Jury Rehearsal (semi-final 1) at 21:00
Tuesday, 12 May 2020 • Dress Rehearsal (semi-final 1) at 15:00 • Live Show (semi-final 1) at 21:00
Wednesday, 13 May 2020 • Jury Rehearsal (semi-final 2) at 21:00
Thursday, 14 May 2020 • Dress Rehearsal (semi-final 2) at 15:00 • Live Show (semi-final 2) at 21:00
Friday, 15 May 2020 • Jury Rehearsal (grand final) at 21:00
Saturday, 16 May 2020 • Dress Rehearsal (grand final) at 13:30 • Live Show (grand final) at 21:00
Eurovision Song Contest 2020: Event details
Eurovision Song Contest 2020
Place: Rotterdam Ahoy Ahoyweg 10, 3084 BA Rotterdam
Date(s) & Time(s): Prefinals: 12,14 May 2020 Grand final: 16 May 2020
Featuring: Artists from all over Europe Entrance/Tickets: Regular: still unknown
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