Cultural events are part and parcel of any vibrant city neighbourhood. This is why we have launched a brand-new subsidy scheme that’s designed to provide assistance to organisers of these types of events. Its annual budget is €150,000, with a maximum of €50,000 per application. Applications can be submitted via our website at any time during the year. The possibilities are wide-ranging: from performances to art routes and from music festivals to architectural guided tours – as long as it involves a cultural event. This applies to small-scale events (no more than 500 visitors per day) and medium-sized events (no more than 2,000 visitors per day). Applications can be submitted via our website (in Dutch) at any time during the year.
Open air or building accessible to the public
Onno van den Muysenberg, Art and Culture programme manager at Zuidas, expects to receive most applications from professional organisers, of film and music festivals, for example. ‘But private individuals can also apply. If you have plans to organise something small-scale and artistic in your neighbourhood, that’s also possible.’ Of course, another condition is that the event is held within Zuidas. It can either be in the open air – Zuidplein, Mahlerplein and Gershwinplein are all designated festival sites – or in buildings that are accessible to the public. Van den Muysenberg: ‘I’m thinking of something like the concerts that the Canal Festival organises in schools and office buildings. Unusual venues that are ideal for organising events and performances.’
Not only for the people of Zuidas
The ultimate aim in subsidising these events is to put Zuidas more firmly on the map, says Van den Muysenberg. ‘They’re not only intended for people who live or work in the area, but actually for everyone from Amsterdam and even beyond it. The ideal scenario would be for someone living in Amsterdam West or de Pijp to occasionally opt to go to Zuidas rather than the Westergasterrein culture park.’ The subsidy can also be granted to events that are held partly in Zuidas and partly elsewhere. ‘We’ve already been able to enjoy concerts in Zuidas during the citywide Canal Festival’, says Van den Muysenberg. ‘In the future, we’ll have a large cinema based at The Pulse of Amsterdam, in the Knowledge District (Kenniskwartier). The Rialto cinema based at VU is also close by. It would be amazing if IDFA or another film festival could be held there.’
Apply all-year round
It is possible to apply for the subsidy all year-round using the form on our website (in Dutch). Whenever applications are received, a committee will draw up a recommendation as quickly as possible and this will be followed by a decision about the application. This means that there is no need for a long delay between applying and organising an event. At the same time, Zuidas benefits by being enriched by new and exciting cultural events.
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