This guide is for internationals living in The Hague who want to know where live music actually happens, whether you moved here alone, as a couple or with children. You will learn what Paard offers, how to get tickets, where to find free gigs, and what has happened to Parkpop, the free festival many newcomers still hear about.
- Paard: the city’s main pop venue
- What is on at Paard in early November 2026
- Tickets, alerts and sold-out shows
- Free live music in The Hague
- Parkpop: what happened to the free festival
- FAQ
Paard: the city’s main pop venue
If you ask a local where to see a band, the answer is usually Paard. The venue’s official website has both a Dutch and an English version, which helps a lot when you are still learning the language. Switch to English in the top corner and the programme, news and ticket pages become much easier to follow.
The programme covers a wide range. On a single week you might find contemporary folk, indie rock’n’roll, a local pop awards night and a free touring festival. Paard also publishes photo reports of recent shows and a “PAARD tipt” section with staff recommendations. That section is worth reading when you don’t recognise any of the names on the poster, which happens to most newcomers in their first months.
The homepage does not list an address, opening hours or bar prices. Check the venue’s own site for current details on getting there, door times and what a night will cost before you go.
What is on at Paard in early November 2026
To give you an idea of a typical week, here is what the Paard homepage listed at the time of writing:
- Wednesday 4 November 2026: ÃO, described by the venue as enchanting and genre-crossing.
- Thursday 5 November 2026: FINK, billed as contemporary folk at its best.
- Thursday 5 November 2026: The Howlers, indie rock’n’roll full of longing and tension.
- Friday 6 November 2026: Popronde in GR8, a free event (more on this below).
- Saturday 7 November 2026: Stonewall, with a separate free day programme.
The site also lists newly confirmed acts, including Mark Eitzel, Miles O’Brien and Kim Churchill. Dates for these appear on their individual event pages, so open each one to see when they play.
A practical tip: some names on the Paard programme are well known in the Netherlands but less so abroad. Use the short descriptions and the “PAARD tipt” picks to decide, or simply take a chance. A Thursday gig by a band you have never heard of is one of the easiest ways to feel part of the city.
Tickets, alerts and sold-out shows
Paard sells tickets through its website. The site’s privacy information mentions Ticketworks, which keeps you logged in while you shop, so expect to buy through that system rather than a third-party reseller. Ticket prices are not shown on the homepage; each event page has the current price and any booking conditions.
Popular shows go quickly. At the time of writing, the homepage labelled some events as sold out and others as close to selling out. If a band you like is coming, don’t wait until the week itself.
Two features help here:
- Ticket alerts: Paard offers ticket alerts for shows, so you can be notified rather than refreshing the page.
- Becoming a friend: the homepage invites regular visitors to “become a friend” of the venue. What that includes is explained on Paard’s own site, so read the details there before signing up.
If you are new to Dutch venues, it also helps to know that the cookie settings on the Paard site let you choose whether to allow marketing and tracking cookies. You can accept only the functional ones and still buy tickets.
Free live music in The Hague
You don’t always need a ticket budget to hear live music here. Two events on the current Paard programme are free.
Popronde in GR8 (Friday 6 November 2026). Paard describes Popronde as the largest free touring music festival in the Netherlands. It is a good evening for newcomers: no ticket pressure, a chance to hear Dutch acts before they get bigger, and an easy way to discover the music scene with friends or colleagues. Check the event page for timings and which venues take part.
Stonewall Free Day Programme. Alongside the Stonewall event on Saturday 7 November 2026, Paard lists a free day programme. The venue’s event page has the details of what is included and when it starts.
About children: the Paard homepage does not mention age limits or family shows. Most of what is listed (evening gigs and club-style nights) is aimed at adults. If you want to bring a teenager or younger child, look at the specific event page or contact Paard directly before you buy, rather than assuming they will be let in.
Parkpop: what happened to the free festival
Many people moving to The Hague hear about Parkpop, the large free outdoor festival that was part of the city’s summer for decades. It is important to know before planning your summer around it: Parkpop has stopped.
According to the official Parkpop website, the organisation has decided not to hold any future editions. The reasons they give are clear. Large free festivals have become harder to fund, Parkpop had been loss-making for some time, and attempts to change that had failed. Programme and production costs had risen sharply, safety requirements kept increasing, and costs rose further after Covid, together with higher energy prices.
The organisers took a break in 2023 to research whether a paid Parkpop from 2024 would be realistic. The research showed the public did not fully reject the idea, but expected a very low entry price so the festival stayed accessible. The organisation concluded that with such a low price, Parkpop could not offer a programme strong enough to keep its national position, and running it would remain too uncertain.
The organisers describe the celebration of 40 years of Parkpop in 2022 as a fitting end to the tradition, and suggest it may be a good moment to look for new traditions in The Hague. For questions, they list the email address info@parkpop.nl.
So if a colleague tells you to “go to Parkpop in June”, they are remembering the past. For free live music now, keep an eye on events such as Popronde at Paard.
FAQ
Is Parkpop still happening?
No. The official Parkpop website says the organisation has decided not to hold future editions. The 40th anniversary in 2022 was the last celebration, a break followed in 2023, and plans for a paid version were dropped because the organisers did not think it could work financially.
Does Paard have an English website?
Yes. The Paard website has a language switch between Dutch and English, so you can read the programme and buy tickets in English.
Are there free concerts at Paard?
Sometimes. In early November 2026, Paard lists Popronde in GR8 on Friday 6 November as free, and a free day programme linked to Stonewall. Check the programme regularly, as free events are marked on the site.
Can I bring my children to Paard?
The Paard homepage does not state age limits or list family events. Most shows are evening gigs aimed at adults. Check the individual event page or contact Paard before buying tickets for anyone under 18.
Official sources: paard.nl · parkpop.nl
Last checked: 2 November 2026 against the pages linked above. Prices, opening hours and programmes change; the venue’s own site always has the current details.
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