Blikopener Festival launches the first names of the festival program today. Among others, Jooz, Staatseinde, and Wolfskers will travel to the Suikerfabriek in Groningen on June 7th and 8th for energetic live shows. Elly van Eeghem invites artists, residents, and visitors in Publiek Plan to share their personal experiences with the public spaces of Groningen. Artist collective Circus Andersom, social designer Madelinde Hageman, choreographer X_YUSUF_BOSS, and education makers duo DRUKCollectief will collaborate with Groningers in various co-creation projects on specific themes. Are you getting curious and excited? Then buy your tickets for Blikopener Festival here, because ticket sales start NOW!

Jooz, Staatseinde, Wolfskers, Elly van Eeghem, Circus Andersom and more. But tickets now!

On Friday evening, June 7th, Wolfskers and Jooz will unleash their tunes on the audience. With alternative pop and hip-hop, Wolfskers promises an inner journey through mystical experiences and confronting reality. The quartet was one of the highlights of the 2023 Popronde and was named 3voor12talent. Inspired by acts like Brockhampton, Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, and FKA Twigs, Wolfskers does not shy away from addressing important life questions in their music.

Multifaceted artist Jooz is making waves as a musician, artist, and wordsmith. With his unique sound full of catchy melodies and an exhilarating dose of vitality, he brings layers for connoisseurs. What exactly he'll do at Blikopener? Only Jooz knows!

On Saturday evening, June 8th, Staatseinde and Kleine Crack & Slagter will take the music stage at the Suikerfabriek. The interstellar cosmonauts of Staatseinde will land their spaceship to bring their unique sound, described as Neue-Niederländische-Welle, to Earth. Expect pulsating electro, nostalgically hopeful synth lines, and provocative vocals. From wave to EBM, from NWD to punk, and more.

Blikopener Festival revolves around five co-creations. Artists and designers collaborate with residents to tackle complex issues facing the city and province of Groningen. In creative sessions, we explore how we can change the systems in which we are stuck. We now highlight the first four co-creations.

Artist collective Circus Andersom, together with Groningen farmers, explores how we can ensure a healthy soil again. Fewer and fewer people know how and where their food is made; we have lost the connection with our soil. How do we restore this? This question is central to the co-creation Journey to Earth.

Artist and social designer Madelinde Hageman has been searching for new words for loneliness for years. In the co-creation Language for Loneliness, she breaks the taboo surrounding mental health. Together with young people, she makes somber feelings, stress, and loneliness discussable.

X_YUSUF_BOSS gives young people in the province of Eemsdelta the opportunity to speak out. How would they shape the future if they had influence? Many decisions are made for them in the countryside of East Groningen. With dance, music, and photography, X_YUSUF_BOSS encourages young people in the co-creation Present-Past-Future Dreams to visualize their dreams.

In the co-creation Off the Couch?!, education makers duo DRUKCollectief delves into the world of the clothing bank. However beautiful these initiatives may be, they perpetuate the system of inequality and injustice. Together with visitors and volunteers from Kledingbank de Zeecontainer, DRUKCollectief devises ways to get off the couch.

The Ballroom and the hall of the Suikerfabriek form the backdrop for a mind-expanding exhibition during Blikopener Festival. Here you will find Bakery de Eenvoud and Elly van Eeghem, among others.

With Publiek Plan, artist Elly van Eeghem delves into the public spaces of the city of Groningen. Which spaces in the city are beloved and which ones are not? Which private spaces should be made public again? Where do you, as a resident, feel involuntarily public? Elly van Eeghem invites you during Blikopener Festival to share your personal experience with Groningen. Help fill the map of Groningen so that a gigantic, cartographic patchwork emerges.

Festival tickets for Friday evening, June 7th, and Saturday evening, June 8th, are now on sale. Order your tickets here. Blikopener Festival is accessible to everyone, no matter how big or small your budget is. Therefore, you choose the amount you can pay. You can choose an amount between €5 and €40.

An honest ticket price for Blikopener Festival is €15. With that amount, you ensure that we can properly pay all the people who make the festival possible. Can you spare a bit more and opt for a more expensive ticket? Then your donation makes it possible for someone with a smaller budget to attend the festival. Thank you very much!