“I suddenly feel so oya lele again.” Hanne Verbruggen, Klaasje Meijer and Marthe De Pillecyn, are all too happy that the culture and entertainment sector is coming back to life after over a year of stagnation. De 'opstartmanifestatie' Mooier dan ooit!, with Albert Verlinde as initiator, is the kick-off of the event season, which will start now that the country can be unlocked. “This feels like a liberation. We all woke up from a bad dream.”

The K3 'sisters', clearly distinguishable from each other in terms of hair colour, are not singing, jumping and dancing on a mega stage like before the pandemic. No, this time the foyer of MAINSTAGE is the place where they broadcast their popular children's songs via live streaming in the presence of just a handful of young fans.

Symbolic
Like dozens of other places in the Netherlands, the performance on Friday evening, June 18, started promptly at eight o'clock. It is a national chain reaction with a symbolic character. A large-scale event in which makers, organizers and other parties involved in front of and behind the scenes and the public en masse count down to the moment when all theatres, (pop) venues, museums, festivals and study programs are allowed to reopen fully.

Joy prevails
We, as MAINSTAGE, are also very happy to start and can't wait to receive the public again.