Baroeg Open Air achieves largest deployment of hydrogen generators at a Dutch festival

BaroegOpen Air ran entirely on five hydrogen generators during its 2026 edition inRotterdam's Zuiderpark. No conventional diesel generator was needed for thepower supply on the festival site, making it the largest deployment of hydrogengenerators at a festival in the Netherlands.

The innovation was presented on Saturday 12September during a tour for stakeholders from the events, construction andsafety sectors. Those attending were given insight into how the technologyworks, the safety measures involved, and the challenges and opportunities thathydrogen offers for the future of temporary power supply.

Baroeg Open Air is the first festival inthe Netherlands to use hydrogen generators on this scale. A combination ofhydrogen, battery packs and a smart power plan made it possible to supply theentire site with sustainable electricity, without noise nuisance, fumes orsoot. The set-up was made possible in part by an innovation contribution fromRotterdam Festivals and by close cooperation between the festival organisation,suppliers, the emergency services and the municipality.

‘Events are ideal places to test newtechnologies in practice. What we are demonstrating at Baroeg Open Air is notonly of interest to festivals, but also to other sectors looking forsustainable solutions to grid congestion or temporary power supply: constructionsites, infrastructure projects and other temporary challenges within thecurrent energy transition. Particularly in inner-city locations, where thechallenges are greatest, this offers proven opportunities for the future,’ saysJoost Trines of Rotterdam Festivals.

Temporary power supply is one of theapplications in which hydrogen can relieve a congested electricity grid.LAUNCH2 follows demonstrations of this kind in order to accelerate the stepfrom a one-off application to large-scale deployment in the region.

Read more: Rotterdam Festivals https://rotterdamfestivals.nl/