Something is in the air above Leeuwarden. A little holy spirit, a little rave sweat, a little fabric softener. Explore the North Festival returns on 20–22 November 2026 and the first names are now announced. From rage to fungal networks and from craft punk to sacred choir trips, the festival weekend of Explore the North is a three-day journey of discovery filled with stories in many forms.
In the coming months we’ll announce many more names. Get your Early Birdticket now for €50.50, or a Youth ticket for €28.50 (ages 13–25 and students). We do not sell tickets for individual programmes.
Featured programme
Festival Theme 2026: Anywhere But Here
Wanting to be anywhere but here and now. The grimmer the world, the more people search for ‘something better’, something different or something new. What exists now is wrong, forbidden or impossible. And so we scatter in all directions. We flee into the past, into the familiar, into the radically different, into a future that could or should be better.
Discount at Vie Via & Post Plaza
Already looking for a place to sleep during our festival? Together with Vie Via and Post Plaza, we’ve arranged a visitor discount for you.
Previous editions
Curious about what was on the programme in previous years? Look back at all festival editions in our archive.
