This article was written and curated by the TicketSwap team, translated for you with AI.
Solar’s hitting 20 this summer, but don’t expect just a nostalgia trip. This is a full-blown, off-the-wall, build-it-yourself birthday mission. No main stage. No cookie-cutter lineups. Just four days of pure creative chaos where you decide the storyline. From glitter-drenched camping chaos to stages that look like surreal dreamscapes, Solar isn’t trying to be the biggest. It’s just doing what it always does: being the most creative.
Here’s what makes Solar the wildest creative playground in the Netherlands
1. They’re bringing back the water pistol fight (and it’s about time)
Forget opening acts – Solar opens with a ritual. And this year, the legendary water pistol battle is making its long-awaited return. After a few years off the radar, it’s back by popular demand and just as chaotic as you remember. Picture this: thousands of campers, sun out, pistols drawn, and zero chance of staying dry. It’s rowdy. It’s ridiculous. It’s peak Solar energy before the stages even start.
2. Eight hostings, eight stages, zero rules
At Solar, the stages don’t come prepackaged; they’re imagined, built, and brought to life by ‘hostings’, a wild mix of collectives who applied for the chance to create their own universe on the grounds. They dream up the concept, build the set, book the lineup, run the promo – it’s grassroots creativity at festival scale.
Some are longtime Solar icons, like Funky Town, whose maximalist stage design is as loud as the party. Others are flipping the script completely, like ZOMAAR, transforming their usual parody supermarket into a full-blown classroom of chaos. You’ve got Go Low, a debut hosting turning trees into a living drum & bass stage, and Pass the Aux, putting Dutch hip-hop on blast with live sets and podcasts. Each one’s a different flavor of madness – and together, they make Solar’s landscape one giant, shape-shifting art piece.
3. No main stage, no techno tent – just new adventures
In a Solar first, they ditched the traditional main stage this year. Gone. Vanished. Instead, meet De Pit (live music mayhem) and De Kern (a trance lover’s dream). It’s a bold move, but this isn’t a festival that plays it safe. Whether you’re chasing goosebumps in the pit or zoning out under lasers in the kern, the new setup invites you to go off-script. Trust your feet, lose your crew, find something better.
4. The pre-party is only for the real ones
The campsite opens on Thursday – and if you’re not there, you’re missing half the story. Friday’s pre-party is strictly for the campers, and it goes hard. Bizzey and FeestDJRuud are hosting De Feesttent, Red Bull’s energy zone is pulsing with performances and activities, and the vibes are off the charts before the main festival even kicks in. It’s the kind of chaos you only get when everyone’s been living out of tents and dancing since Thursday. If you know, you know.
5. It’s not about the lineup, it’s about the story
Solar has always been about experience over headliners. You don’t come here to tick off big names, you come to build your own adventure. It’s immersive, unpredictable, and powered by the people who show up ready to play. Art, mischief, music, mayhem – all baked into one sprawling, sun-drenched sandbox. This 20th birthday? It’s not just a party. It’s a choose-your-own-festival where you get to decide what Solar means.
Built to break the rules
So yeah, Solar’s turning 20, but it’s not settling down anytime soon. This is a festival that reinvents itself every summer and somehow still feels like home. Whether you’re diving into the chaos on Thursday, chasing stage-hopping adventures all weekend, or just showing up to get weird with your crew, Solar isn’t here to follow the rules. It’s here to blow them up and paint the sky with what’s next.
See you in the playground. Don’t forget your water pistol. And if you’re still looking for last-minute tickets, don’t look further than TicketSwap!
