Published 2026-06-26 14.04
The group of friends have been planning the festival trip for a year.
But with 40-degree heat and red warnings, everything was cancelled.
– We were completely devastated, say friends Mathias Andersson and Sebastian Lindmark, who are on site in the Netherlands.
The Defqon 1 festival attracts over 250,000 visitors from over 100 countries every year and is seen as the largest in the hardstyle electronic genre.
The Netherlands has issued red heat warnings in large parts of the country as temperatures can reach up to 40 degrees.
The friends got the news when they were on the bus on their way from the festival area on Thursday evening.
– We immediately noticed that people around us started swearing and hitting the bus seats. We saw a woman who appeared to be crying and stood with her hands over her face, says Mathias.
The friends are disappointed and describe that it feels as if someone has pulled the rug away from them. They hoped the festival would have found a solution other than canceling the entire weekend.
– We think it is strange that they cancel every day. It won’t be as hot at all on Sunday.
Sebastian says he was most looking forward to the festival’s “power hour” on Saturday.
– Last year there were jets and helicopters over the stage. They run fireworks and performances. They all go in under an hour. A real key moment, he says.
“Difficult to think in the heat”
What will become of the holiday is now unclear as the plane home to Sweden does not leave until Tuesday.
– We are sitting in our cabin where there is hardly any AC and we haven’t really decided what to do now.
– It is difficult to think in the heat.
“The combination of high temperatures and humidity causes unpleasant, oppressive heat. Everyone can experience health problems as a result of this, such as dehydration, overheating and heat stroke,” writes the weather authority KNMI.
