New Partner Festival: Into The Great Wide Open

We’re excited to welcome Into The Great Wide Open as a new partner in the European Talent Exchange network.

Into The Great Wide Open is a festival on perhaps the most beautiful island in the Netherlands. Ever since the first edition in 2009, it has taken place on Vlieland, an island in the UNESCO World Heritage Wadden Sea Region. Surrounded by the sea, the festival draws inspiration from its unique environment.

Providing space for innovation and pushing boundaries is at the core of Into The Great Wide Open’s mission. This manifests not only in building a sustainable and socially responsible festival, but also in fostering talent development. The festival is known for its carefully curated line-ups that balance international names with promising new talent. Many artists have performed at the festival at pivotal moments in their careers, just before reaching wider European audiences. Previous artists include: L’Impératrice, La Femme, Franz Ferdinand, Little Simz, Jungle, Kae Tempest, Alt-J, Michael Kiwanuka and Celeste.

"It's such a privilege to work on the music program for Into The Great Wide Open. In my humble opinion, there's simply no festival that takes place in a location that is as enchanting as Vlieland. As is (perhaps too) often said, the island is the headliner of the festival. Which doesn't mean that the musicians aren't important, of course, but the context takes all performances to a whole new level. Throughout the years, Into The Great Wide Open has built a very loyal audience that is open to all types of music and doesn't expect the festival to book the biggest names around. We're very fortunate and happy to be in a position where our main focus can go towards giving a stage to exciting new talent from Europe and beyond, and sharing our singular festival with them." (Dirk Baart, Booker)

Madra Salach has been confirmed as the first European Exchange artist to come to the island. With Into The Great Wide Open’s enthusiasm for European Talent Exchange, more emerging talents will undoubtedly join the bill in the future.