Zwarte Cross

Engines, beer and nonsense – the bands are just one part of the party here.

• Motorbike stunt area
• Hundreds of joke signs
• Church service on Sunday morning

Zwarte Cross isn't a music festival with a side programme but the Achterhoek's country fair: it started in 1997 as an unlicensed motocross race and today runs four days with around a quarter of a million guests. World champions race on the motocross track alongside groups of friends who've spent a year building a dressed-up vehicle; around it lie a funfair, a theatre meadow and a replica small town with pubs and a gay café.

On the field, young people from the countryside, families with children and older visitors stand side by side, and many have come with the same crew for years. The party means singing along in the Megatent and mud on your shoes, mostly relaxed; many don't even know the programme.

At a glance

Beyond the concerts — A world of its own · 3 of 3

Motocross track, stunts, theatre, funfair: a daytime programme of its own. As of 2026

Discovering music — A mix · 2 of 3

Stars on the main stage, punk and blues next door. As of 2026

Ticket budget — Medium · 2 of 5

Camping ticket 2026 covering all four festival days. 2026 · 4 festival days · camping included As of 2026

Nights at the campsite — Party until morning · 3 of 3

A nightclub, campfires and camp cafés keep the camp awake. As of 2026

Ground after rain — sinks · 3 of 3

Rain means mud; in 2024 the main grounds were under water. As of 2024

Check first

• In the presale from November, tickets are usually gone within a day; resale runs only through TicketSwap, where almost 25,000 people were searching in 2023.
• You have to be 18 to camp, your own drinks and food get taken off you, and on the regular campsite the only power is at phone charging points.

Right for you

• Your crew wants four days of partying, laughing and the sound of engines and doesn't need a poster full of world stars: the festival deliberately doesn't book them so tickets stay affordable. You'll easily get talking to strangers, across age groups too.

What is FIPS?

Zwarte Cross: 470 acts, 16 Jul 2026 – 19 Jul 2026, Lichtenvoorde.

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