Ilse van Dijk: Organizer of the Grazende Zwaan theater festival

A festival on an estate

An estate in Haarlemmermeer? "Absolutely, you wouldn't expect that, would you?" says Ilse van Dijk. "The estate used to be a farm, passed down from father to son. It's a fantastic location for a festival. There are so many beautiful spots on the estate: a vineyard, a vegetable garden, a circle of trees, and a birch avenue. That fits perfectly with the site-specific theatre we offer. We play on the landscape of Haarlemmermeer. This is a very specific landscape, also in a historical sense. A beautiful, grand place. It's a wonderful place to be and to present various performances and program elements there. We've created a super-full and beautiful program for families with children and two fantastic performances especially for adults."
 

Spectacle theatre and well-known family performances

What can we expect this year? "This year's edition will feature a new spectacular show: FLITSIn the stands, you'll enjoy an exuberant, fresh, and funny outdoor performance. It has the speed of a TikTok feed, the randomness of your playlist on shuffle, the unexpectedness of a blind date, and the humor of a Tom and Jerry scene. So you get it: you don't want to miss it. It's for adults, but you can also bring your children if they're over 6.

We offer a comprehensive program for families. You can spend the whole day at the festival without being bored. For example, there's the family show Lady and the Vague Dog, to Disney of course and for the little ones a performance about Dickie Dick. There are theatrical expeditions on the estate, you can learn to juggle, or dance, or make a seed bomb, or step into the animal world! And of course there is a circus and there is even a family musical with hits by Madonna.

At Grazende Zwaan the atmosphere is friendly and pleasant. We think that is important. As we say ourselves: it's like a big wedding party.

Mixed audience and facilities for the disabled

It's also good to know that the festival is designed and created for people and children with disabilities. For example, almost all performances are wheelchair accessible, and there's a wheelchair-accessible restroom. There are also quite a few performances without text. Ilse: "This came about because we noticed that quite a few people came to the festival in wheelchairs. It's nice to offer them the necessary facilities so they can enjoy the festival just as much and for as long as people without disabilities. Furthermore, there are many people in Haarlemmermeer whose native language isn't Dutch. So we take that into account in the program. This has resulted in a festival that offers something for everyone."

Farm concert in the monumental barn

“As usual, we will be presenting a farm concert in the monumental barn of the estate. This year with the well-known duo Clean Pete, rated 5 stars by de Volkskrant, a crossroads between pop and classical music. A fun fact: the place dates back to around 1928. It's a so-called "kop-rompboerderij" (head-body farm): the head is the house, the body is formed by the – indeed – enormous barn. The farm is considered a rare example of agricultural architecture from the late 20s and is even a national monument.

Festival ticket

Before the festival you can buy a family ticket, valid for two adults and three children (€19/€17,50), or a single ticket (€6,00). This gives you access to the festival grounds and access to the street theater, the circus, and all the fun workshops. For performances with limited capacity or grandstand seating, you'll need to purchase a separate ticket. "We're keeping it affordable: €2,50 or €3,50. Each day has a different program. But some performances are performed every day. We hope everyone comes and enjoy all the wonderful things this festival has to offer!"