“The unthinkable has happened,” reads a statement from Defqon.1 Weekend Festival organizer Q-dance.
Defqon.1 Weekend Festival in Biddinghuizen, Netherlands has been fully called off due to concerns about the heatwave currently spreading across Europe.
Yesterday, Q-dance announced that only weekend pass holders would be allowed to enter, effectively reducing the event capacity to a safer level. Today, the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute issued a Code Red heat warning, leading the Dutch hard dance promoter to cancel the festival altogether.
“This is the first time the Netherlands has ever issued a code red warning because of high temperatures,” reads a statement shared by Q-dance on Instagram. “Together with the authorities, we are therefore forced to cancel the remaining days of Defqon.1.”
The statement continues: “We are absolutely devastated by this development. Tens of thousands of dedicated Weekend Warriors are currently staying on the Camping Grounds, many of whom have travelled far and prepared for this weekend for months. Asking them to return home tomorrow is the worst-case scenario, especially with a fully operational festival and everything in place to welcome them.”
Q-dance launched in 1999 — initially under the name Qlass Elite — and it organized the debut edition of of Defqon.1 Weekend Festival in June 2003 in Almere. Since 2009. the hard dance gathering has expanded to include international editions in Sydney and Santiago de Chile.
The Netherlands is by no means the only country impacted by this week’s heatwave. The UK just endured its hottest June day on record, and France and Spain are among the countries hit hardest. The latter country’s MoMo monitoring system has reported that 2012 deaths between Sunday and Wednesday could be linked to the extreme heat.
Q-dance is allowing all weekend pass holders already on site to remain on the campgrounds and festival site through Friday as they plan their exit. All ticket holders will receive full refunds, according to their statement.
