Sometimes all it takes is someone to give you a gentle push. 'At first, I didn't think it would be for me,' says Cadisha Lepelblad. But she let herself be persuaded to attend a performance. Then another. And another. 'Now I go in with an open mind and love being surprised. That's what I tell other people too: maybe you'll love it, maybe you won't, but you'll definitely come away with an experience.'
Sonia Deiters agrees. 'During the festival you're introduced to new perspectives, often when you least expect it. I took my sister to LACRIMA without telling her beforehand that it was a three-hour performance—in French! But we were both completely captivated.' Lepelblad and Deiters are eager to share their enthusiasm. They are members of the HF Young Circle, a group of eleven ambassadors who inspire others with recommendations and encourage their own communities to discover the festival. They also help shape the year-round programme of events for the HF Young community.
These included the HF Young Waiting Room in November, celebrating the announcement of the Associate Artist; the Early Bird Eve in March; and the Pre-Holland Festival Drinks just before the festival began. During the festival itself, Simon Boccanegra was added to the HF Young programme as a special event in collaboration with My Muse and Me from Dutch National Opera & Ballet.
To give members greater flexibility, HF Young expanded its discount this year from a limited selection of performances to almost the entire festival programme. Members received a 25% discount on tickets across virtually all seating categories.
On three Fridays and one Saturday, HF Young hosted the Discutheek: a space where visitors could dance, reflect, and exchange impressions about what they had seen—and what was still to come. A checklist of performances and conversation cards featuring prompts such as 'Find someone who has seen a performance you haven't. Let them convince you in one minute' helped spark discussions between festivalgoers.
'This is the best thing I've seen so far,' says Flora Kenza Nacer as she catches her breath after the three-hour performance of LACRIMA. As an HF Young participant, she's no stranger to challenging work, but this production left a particularly strong impression. 'It's incredible how many storylines are woven into the making of a wedding dress: the injustices of the high-fashion industry, a powerful woman being undermined by her toxic partner, the unequal relationship between Western fashion houses and Asian sweatshops. It brings together all these major themes while weaving them seamlessly into a deeply emotional story.'
HF Young+
Since 2024, HF Young visitors have been able to purchase an HF Young+ membership for €20 a year, giving them access to additional discounts. This year also saw the introduction of the HF Young+ Sprint Pass, which offered members 50% off last-minute tickets to as many as twenty Holland Festival performances.
From 19 to 21 June, the HF Young+ Weekender brought members together to experience the festival as a group. The weekend not only strengthened connections within the community, but also reinforced a shared conviction: the more often you visit the festival, the richer the experience becomes especially when you have others to share it with.
