The Noorderzon Festival is an annual festival

Festival

A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....

 in the Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 city of Groningen taking place in the urban public park the Noorderplantsoen

Noorderplantsoen

Noorderplantsoen is an urban public park in the city of Groningen in the Netherlands, situated slightly north of the city center. Its name is Dutch for northern public garden.-History:...

, usually for a period of ten days beginning in the third week of August. The festival typically draws between 110,000 and 120,000 visitors.

The festival started out as a small music festival and a subsidiary of De Parade but has expanded to a festival where art, music, dance and theatre go together. Performances are shown in tents, on the street and in cultural venues in Groningen's inner city. There is a strong emphasis on international work, and on the cross-fertilization between theatre and other performing arts.

The 2010 edition takes place from August 19 to August 29.