What almost ended Draaimolen?
Last year, Draaimolen told its audience its future was in danger: the Tilburg municipality had not granted permission for the festival to return to the MOB Complex, the forested site it has built its identity around since 2019. The nonprofit team launched a petition rather than quietly negotiate behind closed doors, and it worked. More than 26,000 signatures later, the festival secured the site for three more years, under conditions the organizers describe as strict.
What's actually on the 2026 lineup?
The 4-5 September edition is sold out, and the lineup running across six forest stages leans into exactly the range that built Draaimolen's reputation: Shygirl debuts an entirely new live show, Anthony Rother revives his DATAPUNK alias, and Kangding Ray premieres a new audiovisual piece with Lumus Instruments titled Snelweg. Colombian label TraTraTrax curates The Pit stage, while Eris Drew and Octo Octa co-host Forest Rave. The Necks, DJ Haram, Namasenda, Donato Dozzy and Objekt round out a bill built as much around live sets and audiovisual commissions as straightforward DJ slots. Opening concerts at Tilburg's 013 venue add commissioned AV performances from Efdemin, GiGi FM and Legowelt before the festival proper begins.
"The news still feels unreal, but we're beyond relieved and excited to share that the MOB Complex will remain our home for the time being." (Draaimolen, via Instagram)
Why is a festival still hunting for a new home after saving this one?
Three more years is a deadline, not a resolution. Draaimolen has said the search for a permanent location continues regardless of this year's reprieve, because a forest venue that depends on annual municipal goodwill is never fully secure, no matter how many people sign a petition for it. The festival's answer to that instability wasn't to scale back or chase a safer, less contested site. It sold out a bigger, more ambitious lineup than the year it nearly lost everything.
Why it matters
Draaimolen's petition-to-sold-out arc is a working template for independent, nonprofit festivals across Europe facing the same squeeze: land pressure, municipal noise complaints and rising costs that push smaller sites toward corporate consolidation or closure.
What we think
A lineup this deep, built the same year the festival's survival was still in doubt, is the real answer to anyone who thought the petition was a one-off mobilization. Community support kept the site standing, but Draaimolen still had to earn the sellout on the strength of its booking, and it clearly did.
