Pinkpop is an annual music festival held in Landgraaf, Netherlands. It is usually held on the Pentecost weekend (Pinksteren in Dutch, hence the name). If Pentecost falls on an early date in May, the festival is held later in June. The festival started in 1970, at Burgemeester Damen Sportpark in the city of Geleen, and is a three-day festival, from Saturday through Monday when on Pentecost weekend, or Friday through Sunday otherwise, with a 60,000 people per day capacity, and with performances on four separate stages. From 2006 through 2011, Pinkpop sold out six years in a row.<ref name="Pollstar"/> During 44 editions, more than two million people have attended Pinkpop. Some 700 music acts have played at the festival.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2010 it was claimed that Pinkpop was in The Guinness Book of Records as "the world’s oldest annual pop festival",<ref name="Pollstar">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="VPRO 1">Template:Cite web</ref> though The Guinness Book of Records lists Reading Festival as the first, and therefore the oldest, pop music festival.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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The name consists of two parts. 'Pink' comes from the Dutch word for Pentecost (Pinksteren) and 'pop' comes from pop music (or 'popular music'). But a later creative interpretation for the name combines the English word pink and the Dutch word pop, which means doll, thus forming the origin for the logo, a doll in a pink dress.
The precursor to Pinkpop was held on Pentecost Monday in 1969. It was completely free, and called Pinknick because people were supposed to bring their own food. Only a free pig roast and free apples were provided by the organizers.<ref name="VPRO 2">Template:Cite web</ref> Inspired by the Monterey festival from 1967, a number of hip local bands were persuaded to come and play unpaid. Almost 10,000 visitors were attracted, ranging from pop music lovers to grandparents and their grandchildren. And families with empty shopping bags, loading up on apples.<ref name="VPRO 2"/> A young journalist Wim Wennekens and a youth group director Hans van Beers organised the event because they felt there was very little for young people to do in Limburg.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
History
In 1970, two men joined the duo to organise the first Pinkpop, including a 23-year-old named Jan Smeets. Over 10,000 people stood in front of an improvised stage built in the stands of the sports park in Geleen. The music was held on 18 May from 1 to 6 pm but still received noise complaints.<ref name=":0" /> In 1976, the festival reached its maximum capacity of 40,000 for the first time.<ref name=":0" />
In 1994 (the 25th edition), it was decided to sell only 60,000 tickets, to prevent overcrowding due to the popularity of the festival. In 1995, it was made into a two-day festival. Two years later this was further expanded to three days.
In 2005, Pentecost was held earlier and keeping with tradition, the festival was held from 14 to 16 May. This was a month earlier than usual, so many bands' summer tours had not started yet because they usually stop at Pinkpop along other festivals such as Rock Werchter and Rock am Ring. Thus the headliners were three electronic acts: The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy and Faithless. Ticket sales were a low 22,000: 16,000 fewer than 2004 and 40,000 fewer than 2002. As a result of the low turnout, founder Jan Smeets almost "pulled the plug" on the festival but decided to keep going.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2007 saw a spin-off, later in the year, on 11 August, called Pinkpop Classic, for an older rock audience, with bands that had previously performed at the festival in past decades.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This spin-off was held again in following years, with the exception of 2011, when the organisation was not able to book enough artists.
In 2008, Pinkpop was not held on Pentecost weekend for the first time because the holiday was too early and Smeets did not want to repeat the same mistake as 2005. The festival was shifted to late May and turned out to have had the largest concert attendance to date with 94,000 unique visitors.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The dates for the 2010, 2013, 2015 and 2016 edition have been shifted as well, for similar reasons.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The 2020 and 2021 Pinkpop festivals were not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was the 20th time the event was held at the Megaland Park.
On 28 February, most of the line-up was revealed. Pearl Jam was announced to make their 3rd appearance on the Pinkpop stage, but they cancelled, for two of their members would become fathers in the Pentecost weekend.
Template:Note label Krezip replaced Amy Winehouse, because she had to cancel due to illness. Krezip started their gig playing Amy Winehouse's "Rehab".
2008
Pinkpop 2008 was held from 30 May to 1 June in the Landgraaf Megaland Park.
Pinkpop 2008 had the largest audience of concert attendees to date, with an average of just over 60,000 people arriving each of the three days, prompting the festival organizers to announce that 180,000 people had visited the festival. Because the 42,500 available three-day passes sold out completely, the actual number of unique visitors is 94,000.
On 4 March 2009 the Pinkpop Board gave a press conference in Paradiso in Amsterdam, to answer questions from the press and announce which artists will be performing on Pinkpop 2009 will be announced.
Template:Note label Krezip replaced Depeche Mode, because lead singer Dave Gahan had to undergo a procedure after a tumor was spotted in his bladder two weeks before Pinkpop. Placebo replaced Depeche Mode as headliner.
Template:Note label Ryan Shaw replaced Wolfmother, because lead singer Andrew Stockdale was too sick to go on tour. Wolfmother was first planned on Sunday, but Triggerfinger covered their spot, so Ryan Shaw could play on Saturday.
Template:Note label At first Kasabian would perform as well, but they had to cancel due to private matters. Kyuss Lives! replaced Kasabian's spot, Moss covered Kyuss Lives!'s spot.
2013
Pinkpop 2013 was held from 14 to 16June, the third time that it was not held on the weekend of Pentecost.
Template:Note label At first Sam Smith would perform as well, but they had to cancel due to voice problems. Placebo replaced Sam Smith's spot.
Template:Note label Originally the Foo Fighters would serve as the festival's headliner but had to cancel their performance due to a broken leg by frontman Dave Grohl two days earlier. Pharrell Williams became headliner instead and the Flemish trio Triggerfinger was added as a last-minute addition to the line-up.
A fatal traffic accident involving festival-goers took place in the early morning of 18 June. After the festival, at around 04:00, a group of persons sat on the road near Campsite B, which was not closed to vehicular traffic. A van travelling along this road could not avoid the group and ran into the group, killing one and severely injuring three more. The driver reported himself to the police several hours later in Amsterdam.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
During the performance of the Foo Fighters on 16 June, the disintegration of a large meteor was observed in the sky right behind the main stage and caught on video.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The fireball and its disintegration was widely observed also elsewhere in the Benelux countries, Germany and France. An analysis of over 200 eyewitness reports suggests that the disintegration took place at 23:11 local time near the Belgian city of Liège.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
