Report: Bike Rave Demonstration

On Friday 30 October, the N8W8 R'dam organised a Fietsrave in collaboration with Kristian de Leeuw (owner Poing). During this demonstration, attention was drawn to Rotterdam's dance and events sector. Due to the lack of prospects, loss of human capital and the forced closure in mid-March 2020, the sector was in danger of going under.

The Rotterdam municipality invested heavily in preserving classical cultural institutions and Ahoy, because of: 'the importance for the city and employment'. In contrast, Rotterdam's dance and events sector was overlooked. It was time for Rotterdamers to speak out about this. An event came online and, within a few days, it stood at more than 7,000 interested parties. The enthusiasm was high. However, the demonstration could not continue its original form, due to the corona crisis.

This did not lessen the charge of the demonstration.

Why did we enter the bike path?

We wanted more attention to our voice in local and national policies and more resources for this valuable sector. We set this out further in four positions;

• The dance and events sector is an essential part of Dutch culture and economy. Due to long-term closures and restrictions on events, much knowledge and employment is at risk of being lost. Action must be taken now to at least partially preserve the current infrastructure. To date, however, both nationally and locally, little or no attention has been paid to our sector. This must now change. Recognise the value of the sector: recognise that Dutch dance culture is important cultural heritage and deserves to be protected.
• Start dialogue with the sector locally and nationally to enable start-up clubs, outdoor clubs and events from spring, in conjunction with rapid testing and other measures. The alliance of night mayors and night councils, vibelab and other industry experts can play an important role in this.
• Establish Rotterdam Dance and Events Sector Support Fund, to preserve valuable initiatives from the dance and events sector and facilitate innovative events in 2021.
• Think with us in solutions.

The bicycle rave demonstration attracted a lot of press. So too was Danny Ghosen present with his film crew. The piece below is from 09:00 onwards about the Fietsrave and the lack of nightlife: