Petition launched as Rotterdam festivals threatened with funding cuts
The city council has proposed a €656,000 annual cut to its budget for cultural events Continue reading...
A petition has been launched opposing a proposed annual cut to festival funding in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, which organisers say could have "real consequences" for events in the city.
In July, Rotterdam City Council suggested a €656,000 annual cut to its budget for cultural events like festivals, which is said to amount to around a 20% cut in funding for events.
A petition launched by "visitors, creators, and organisations from the Rotterdam culture and festival sector" says that "many festivals are at risk of disappearing" as a result of cuts.
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"Festivals are places that connect people, that offer Rotterdammers space for meeting, relaxation, and a mental outlet," the petition reads.
More than 3,000 have signed the petition so far, which requests that the council revises the cuts and invests in the "Rotterdam festival landscape" instead. The petition will run until November 4.
It also seeks to protect festivals and help them "continue to exist as places of encounter, connection, and cultural identity for all Rotterdammers, in line with the ambitions of the coalition agreement."
Rotterdam-based festivals are also urging fans to help support them by signing the petition, including dance music-focused event Nous'klaer Festival, who said that "festivals like ours cannot exist on ticket sales alone" and that cuts could have "real consequences".
"This year we experienced first-hand that the value of Rotterdam Festivals goes far beyond financial support. When our festival was cancelled at the very last moment, Rotterdam Festivals stood beside us," they said.
Rotterdam street art festival ALL CAPS also shared its fears over proposed cuts , writing: "Behind almost every festival in this city is an organisation that supports makers, enables new initiatives and keeps culture accessible to everyone."
Read some posts from Rotterdam-based festivals below, and sign the petition here .
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