Parookaville
Parookaville is an annual three-day electronic dance music (EDM) festival held at Airport Weeze in Weeze, Germany, featuring over 300 artists performing across more than 10 stages and attracting approximately 225,000 attendees.[1][2][3] Established in 2015, Parookaville has grown rapidly to become Germany's largest EDM event, with its sixth edition in 2022 marking a sold-out return after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][3] The festival transforms the airport grounds into a sprawling "city" complete with a large campsite accommodating around 50,000 visitors, immersive production elements like drone shows, and themed areas emphasizing freedom, love, and electronic music culture.[5][6] Notable for its diverse lineup of international DJs and producers spanning genres such as techno, house, and trance, Parookaville has consistently broken attendance records, with the 2025 edition celebrating its tenth anniversary by drawing 75,000 fans per day.[5][7] The event's scale and production quality have positioned it as a cornerstone of Europe's EDM festival scene, often featuring livestreams and partnerships with major brands to enhance the attendee experience.[2][1]Overview
Concept and theme
Parookaville is conceptualized as a fictional utopian city known as the "City of Dreams," envisioned by the imaginary architect Bill Parooka as an escape blending madness, love, and pure happiness for electronic music fans.[8][9] This immersive setup transforms the festival grounds into a self-contained urban environment, complete with custom-built architecture and narrative elements that encourage exploration and creativity, distinguishing it from typical music events by integrating storytelling with performances.[8] The central Townhall serves as a hub for "citizens," reinforcing the theme of communal freedom tied to electronic music culture.[8] Themed districts and installations enhance the city's dreamlike atmosphere, featuring landmarks such as the 7-meter-high Bill Parooka Monument, an ancient Jail with a tattoo studio for interactive "punishments," and the Warsteiner Parooka Church where attendees can participate in mock weddings with official certificates.[8] Other zones include the Bermuda Quadrangle with a 700-square-meter open-air pool for relaxation and parties, the City Forest as a chill-out area with natural elements, and the Desert Valley sandbox for playful outdoor experiences.[8][9] Street art and interactive features, like personalized tattoos and lottery kiosks, weave into the narrative, while structures such as a historical DHL Post Office add quirky, lived-in details to the fabricated urban landscape.[8] These elements draw inspiration from festivals like Tomorrowland, emphasizing escapism and community in a post-apocalyptic yet celebratory vibe.[9] Since its founding in 2015, the theme has evolved through annual refinements, with stages and installations updated to sustain the "City of Dreams" motif while incorporating motifs like futuristic sustainability efforts—such as upcycled materials for bars and stages—and nostalgic callbacks to early editions, like the 2025 redesign of Bill’s Factory as Parooka's workshop.[8][10] This progression maintains core narrative ties to electronic music's themes of innovation and boundary-pushing, with elements like annual Bill Parooka stamps marking each edition's unique stamp on the fictional city's history.[8]Genre and format
Parookaville is a premier electronic dance music (EDM) festival that emphasizes a broad spectrum of subgenres within the electronic music landscape, including house, techno, trance, hardstyle, big room, drum and bass, and future bass.[11][12] This diverse programming allows attendees to explore various electronic styles across dedicated stages, fostering an immersive experience centered on high-energy performances and innovative sound design.[6] The festival follows a standard three-day format, typically held annually in mid-July, with continuous programming that spans daytime and nighttime hours to accommodate different attendee preferences and energy levels.[13] Events unfold over multiple themed stages—often exceeding ten in number—each tailored to specific subgenres, enabling simultaneous sets that create a dynamic, city-like festival environment.[14] This structure supports a seamless flow of music from afternoon warm-ups to late-night headliners, enhancing the overall rhythmic progression of the event.[15] In terms of scale, Parookaville accommodates up to approximately 75,000 attendees per day across its venues, with the main stage alone capable of hosting 70,000 spectators.[5][15] Ticket options include general admission for standard access, VIP packages offering enhanced amenities like priority entry and exclusive viewing areas, as well as day visas and full weekend passes with or without camping accommodations to suit varying participation levels.[6][14]History
Founding and early editions
Parookaville was launched on July 17, 2015, by Next Events GmbH, marking a large-scale electronic dance music (EDM) festival centered around a fictional city theme. The event transformed the grounds of Weeze Airport, a former British Royal Air Force base in North Rhine-Westphalia, into an immersive urban landscape dubbed "Parookaville," complete with themed areas, stages housed in hangars, and open-airfields repurposed for performances.[16][17] This inaugural edition drew 25,000 attendees over three days, featuring around 80 international DJs across multiple stages.[16][18] Highlights of the lineup included headliners such as Armin van Buuren, Alesso, and Steve Aoki, who helped establish the festival's reputation for high-energy EDM sets in a novel, city-like environment.[19] Early logistical challenges arose from adapting the expansive, underutilized airport terrain, including the transformation of vast airfields and hangars into functional festival spaces while managing initial infrastructure limitations.[16][20] The 2016 edition, held from July 15 to 17, demonstrated rapid growth, attracting 50,000 attendees and solidifying Parookaville's appeal as a premier EDM destination.[21][22] This increase reflected strong word-of-mouth and sold-out tickets, with the festival expanding to 10 stages and over 150 DJs, enhancing the thematic immersion through additional city-inspired elements like expanded interactive zones and visual installations.[21] Lineup standouts included Tiësto, Afrojack, and Steve Aoki, further emphasizing diverse EDM subgenres within the evolving urban narrative.[23] The successful scaling from the previous year highlighted the organizers' ability to address initial setup hurdles at the airport site, paving the way for Parookaville's emergence as a key player in Germany's festival scene.[23]Growth and milestones
Following its early editions, Parookaville experienced rapid expansion in attendance, drawing approximately 80,000 visitors in 2017 and 80,000 in 2018 across its multi-day format, before reaching 210,000 in 2019.[23][24][25] This surge solidified its status as a major electronic dance music event, with consistent sell-outs reflecting growing demand among fans seeking immersive experiences at Weeze Airport. The 2022 edition, following the pandemic hiatus, set a new attendance record of 225,000 over three days. The 2023 edition maintained this figure with another sold-out event drawing 225,000 attendees, underscoring the festival's scaling infrastructure to accommodate larger crowds while maintaining its thematic "City of Dreams" concept.[1][26] The COVID-19 pandemic prompted significant adaptations, including full cancellations in 2020 and 2021 due to government restrictions on large gatherings, which halted in-person events and shifted focus to planning for safer returns.[27][28] Organizers postponed the 2021 edition to 2022 without modifications like reduced capacity or testing protocols, prioritizing a full-scale revival that resumed growth trajectory. This resilience contributed to Parookaville's recognition as Germany's largest EDM festival, a title affirmed by its consistent top rankings in industry polls and media coverage.[29] The 2024 edition also sold out with 225,000 attendees.[30] Key milestones include the festival's 10th anniversary in 2025, celebrated with special programming, a massive drone show featuring over 1,000 drones, and enhanced anniversary merchandise to commemorate a decade of evolution since its 2015 inception; this edition drew 225,000 attendees (75,000 per day).[5] The event also highlighted its international appeal, attracting attendees from over 50 countries in recent years, fostering a diverse global community through multilingual support and targeted marketing in Europe, North America, and Asia.[31] This broadening reach has positioned Parookaville as a cornerstone of the European EDM scene, with livestreams extending its influence to millions worldwide.[30]Venue and logistics
Location and facilities
Parookaville is held at Weeze Airport, also known as Niederrhein Airport, in the municipality of Weeze, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located at coordinates 51°36′09″N 006°08′32″E.[32] This former military airfield provides expansive open spaces, including runways and tarmac areas, which are repurposed for the festival's main stages and audience zones, allowing for large-scale setups that accommodate the event's immersive electronic dance music environment.[15] The airport's infrastructure, such as its wide aprons and peripheral hangars, supports the transformation of the site into a temporary "city" with aviation-themed integrations that enhance the festival's conceptual atmosphere.[33] The venue features dedicated camping areas divided into specialized districts, including the standard Camping District for tent setups, the Caravan District for mobile homes and vehicles, the eco-focused Green Village, and the premium Deluxe Village with enhanced amenities like powered units and wellness zones.[34] Parking facilities are extensive, with multiple lots such as the designated Caravan District parking and additional areas like P Festival B, requiring specific tickets for access and supporting vehicle arrivals from across Europe.[35] Transportation options include shuttle services from Weeze Train Station, with free rides included in certain tickets like those for Green Village to promote eco-friendly arrivals, as well as bus shuttles from nearby major airports including Düsseldorf International (DUS) and Eindhoven (EIN).[36] These links facilitate access for international attendees, with shuttles running to the festival entrance and campsite throughout the event.[37] Sustainability measures at the venue emphasize waste management and environmental responsibility, partnering with REMONDIS for on-site recycling stations where attendees can separate trash for sustainable processing.[10] The Green Village district specifically promotes waste reduction through provided bins, reusable items, and mindfulness practices, while broader initiatives encourage public transport use to minimize vehicle emissions.[38] Airport adaptations, such as utilizing hangars like the Cloud Factory stage, incorporate industrial elements into the festival layout, blending the site's aviation heritage with operational efficiency for stages, pathways, and support services.[33]Dates and attendance
Parookaville is traditionally scheduled in mid-July each year, spanning three days at Airport Weeze in Germany. The inaugural edition occurred from July 17 to 19, 2015.[39] Subsequent events have maintained this timing, including July 15–17, 2016; July 21–23, 2017; July 19–21, 2018; July 18–20, 2019; July 22–24, 2022; July 21–23, 2023; July 19–21, 2024; and July 18–20, 2025, with the next edition set for July 17–19, 2026.[40][41][5] Attendance has shown steady progression, reflecting the festival's expanding popularity and infrastructure upgrades. The event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2022 onward, it achieved a stable total of 225,000 visitors over three days, supported by a daily capacity of approximately 75,000. Key factors include rapid sell-outs driven by international appeal and strong pre-sale trends, alongside a robust post-pandemic recovery that saw the 2022 edition exceed pre-2019 figures.[1][31]| Year | Dates | Total Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | July 17–19 | 25,000 |
| 2016 | July 15–17 | 50,000 |
| 2017 | July 21–23 | 80,000 |
| 2018 | July 19–21 | 80,000 |
| 2019 | July 18–20 | 210,000 |
| 2020 | Cancelled | N/A |
| 2021 | Cancelled | N/A |
| 2022 | July 22–24 | 225,000 |
| 2023 | July 21–23 | 225,000 |
| 2024 | July 19–21 | 225,000 |
| 2025 | July 18–20 | 225,000 |