The Netherlands, land of some of the best music festivals in world. It is no surprise then, that new-born foundation “Rotterdam student-city” (Stichting Rotterdam Studenten Stad in Dutch) set out to organize a music festival as their first event. The festival that goes by the name of SPECTA, will take place in the middle of the city center, square 1940, on 9 July. Visitors can expect cheap bier, food trucks and two stages covering modern house and disco classic music from 13.00 to 23.00.
“The name SPECTA stands for nothing actually, it’s an invented name.” says Marcus Groeneveld (21), newly-graduate in Business Administration at EUR and president of the foundation. “We were trying to come up with a name that could last. The idea behind the name SPECTA is that it can be intended as the shortening of spectacular.”
The event is going to be small, around 1200 people. This is part of the festival’s unique selling proposition, as Marcus explains. “What sets this festival apart from the rest is its accessibility. We have tried to create a less expensive festival that students can afford, starting with the entry fee (around 15 euros). To maintain this goal we have to keep the number of attendees small. We don’t plan to expand any time soon.”
Rotterdam student city
Benefitting from the help of S.S.R- Rotterdam for sponsorship, Marcus affirms that SPECTA is not the student association’s festival and it shouldn’t be seen as such, “SPECTA is a festival for all students. We are really happy that S.S.R.-Rotterdam shares our goals. The event wouldn’t have been possible without their support.”
More than hundred volunteers have been helping to make the festival a reality, but at the core of all operations is a group of seven students. Wouter Koning (22), who just graduated in Business Administration, is in charge of the marketing for SPECTA “We strive to give Rotterdam a more student-feel, we are doing it by creating events in the city that students can benefit from. SPECTA is our first event, but we plan to have one every year, including different kind of events too. ”
The foundation behind SPECTA works towards the same goal “making Rotterdam a more student-friendly city”. With this in mind, the foundation has been running since last December.
The 9th of July from 13.00 to 23.00, SPECTA will take place in 1940 square close to the Maritiem Museum in the city center. The cost for tickets start from 15 euros up to 22 euros. Check on EM agenda for more information.
