Erasmus plaza on campus Woudestein transformed into a real festival ground for the HeartBeat festival. Almost 7000 visitors came to enjoy the live music, food trucks, kids’ corner and chill area. The festival was organised to mark the 22nd lustrum of Erasmus University Rotterdam and was also the closing event of the lustrum year.
From 16:30 hours, visitors danced to the GDFL Brassband, A*Fever, EMA Showband and various DJs such as Mr.Belt & Wezol, DJ Irwan, Q Music Het Foute Uur and Mamba. The highlight for many students was the performance by the popular band Turfy Gang. "The musical interaction between audience and artist was very cool to see," says festival organiser Farzad Kananpour. "People could vote in advance on which artists they would like to see and you could tell by the energetic vibe."
Biggest edition HeartBeat Festival ever
The festival was estimated to be attended by between 6,000 and 7,000 students, staff, alumni and friends. "We haven't had this many visitors before," Farzad Kananpour says. "For this edition, the festival grounds were also 25% bigger than the previous edition in 2019 and consisted of different areas."
Something for everyone
Families were also welcome and the kids’ corner with face painting, a bouncy castle and all kinds of games was very popular with the youngest guests. In addition, visitors could enjoy themselves on the rodeo bull, with old Dutch games or football darts, provided by various study and student associations of our university. Of course, there was also room for relaxation in the chill area of the Student Wellbeing Programme and delicious food trucks.
Closing the 22nd lustrum of Erasmus University Rotterdam
In the academic year 2023-2024, Erasmus University Rotterdam celebrates its 110th anniversary and 22nd Lustrum. The HeartBeat Festival concludes this festive year. The university can look back on a number of special events such as the Opening of the Academic Year in the Laurenskerk, Meet the Professors, the unveiling of a Mural on campus during the Dies Natalis, the Connecting Cultures festival, Weekend of Science, the Lifelong Learning Festival in Rotterdam neighbourhood hubs and many more activities.
Watch the aftermovie
First photos of the festival
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