The curtain comes down after 18 years of Festival Classique
Festival Classique, the unique classical music festival on the Scheveningen coast, can unfortunately no longer be continued due to increased costs and poor funding. For 18 years, the festival managed to attract over 600.000 visitors with surprising own productions dedicated to sense of humour,
imagination and emotion. It has inspired a wide audience throughout the Netherlands through television broadcasts.
Since 2007, Festival Classique has taken place at the very heart of The Hague with the Hofvijver being its key venue. In 2016, the festival moved to Scheveningen where it was warmly received and supported by the public, local entrepreneurs and the hospitality industry. At Scheveningen, the festival revived the musical history of the Kurhaus with a ten-day programme. The large-scale beach show with the participation of hundreds of amateur singers became a real crowd puller.
After 2020 and 2021, two years dominated by the coronavirus, the festival returned to the beach in 2022, however on a smaller scale (one location and four days only). This was necessary due to the sharp increase in costs and decreased subsidies and funds. Important artistic partners also dropped out, facing the same financial developments. Despite the support of sponsors and Scheveningen partners, the financial challenges remained significant. The 2023 and 2024 editions showed declining visitor numbers and ended with a loss.
Recently, the festival received positive reviews from the Municipality of The Hague and the Performing Arts Fund for the period 2025-2028. The unique positioning and relevance of the festival, and of the large-scale participation performances in particular, was praised. The Municipality of The Hague and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science awarded a higher contribution compared to recent years. Nevertheless, due to increased costs and other declining contributions, the structural basis and the necessary budget for a classic festival by the sea are lacking, causing the curtain to come down after 18 editions of Festival Classique.
Chairman Danielle Koster,“Although the end has come for this unique festival, it has left a lasting impression by making unexpected combinations with other art forms that we can see are now widely followed. We are proud that we have introduced a varied audience to classical music through the festival for 18 years and say goodbye to it with an aching heart. We want to thank everyone who made this possible. Without the contribution of many volunteers, sponsors, subsidies, musicians and artists, Festival Classique would not have been able to flourish for such a long time. Festival Classique stops, but our admiration for the artists who stand their ground in the increasingly challenging cultural climate remains. Their talent and perseverance deserve lasting recognition in The Hague and far beyond, especially at this time.”