Report Programmers' meeting 04.02.2026

On 4 February, the first 2026 programmers' meeting took place at the library's temporary venue. With just under 40 attendees, it was an energetic and well-filled start to the year, with representatives from the likes of. Rotown, Koda010, Oase, Time is the New Space, Brutus, the Stadsschouwburg, WORM, Ferry, various collectives, No Clout Collective, Otterdam, AanTafel, De Stu, BIRD, Unlocked DnB, Export, Lab Grounds, Club Kitty, Darkmode Events, Tony'z Collective, Concrete Jungle, Pulsar Sound Lab and, of course, N8W8 (sorry if you don't see yourself back, I've been typing along for my life!).

This programmers' meeting functioned as the start of the new year, a check-in moment for all of us to look back and forward. 

What did we do? 
What are we going to do? 
What do we still want to do?

N8W8 R'dam 2025 & 2026

First, we discussed the achievements and plans of N8W8 R'dam. See the full recap and preview also in this blog. 

We looked back on an intense year, which included hard work on the Night Plan, an important journey that will continue into 2026. 

Looking ahead, there are plenty of plans in the pipeline again. New and existing venues (such as Shunter) continue to develop. In addition, an economic impact study will be carried out in 2026 to provide insight into the economic value of the nightlife sector for Rotterdam. This knowledge can in turn support Rotterdam's night (culture) in policy-making, cooperation and future-proof choices. We were able to gauge together how willing people are to cooperate in such a study and what the added value is. 

In addition, safety was and remains a big issue, this was underlined by all present. 

Considerations for 2026

In an open conversation, the following topics emerged: 

Financial accessibility at different levels, examples were the pay it forward initiative at Oasis and the use of the Ticketbank at Rotown. Both had the observation that perhaps not very many people are aware of the existence of these initiatives. So if you are reading this now, pass it on!  

It has long been known that a group of homeless people can be found in the busy areas of the city in the late hours of the night. Incidents and concerns at various locations were discussed. Especially clear is that we as a city need to speak with owners and homeless, not about them. 

Social hygiene as a concept on the night, how we can achieve this and whether venues can be certified for this, for example. The central question raised was how do we make events and clubs safer - from door to dance floor? People brainstormed and discussed:

- The importance of clear house rules. 
- Conversations at the door: safety starts with entry.
- Soliciting feedback from visitors afterwards.
- The feeling that clubs are sometimes perceived as less safe than festivals.
- Measurements and agreements around social hygiene.
- Rapid staff changes, causing knowledge of employees to disappear again.
- Possible (mandatory) training and tightened policies.
- Important point: The municipality reimburses 10 IVY training courses annually for locations with a regular crew. This training focuses explicitly on how to support the victim, rather than just focusing on the perpetrator. 
- The idea of forming a working group to draft guidelines around door policy and security also came up.

Position of organisers & venues can be complicated in the city. There is more need for venues than organisers, according to some, which can create tension in power relations and safety standards.

Rotterdam's image as a night city came up. How do we position the city? And what role does an accessible night agenda have in this? 

In conclusion

There has been considerable talk. Sometimes about things that won't go anywhere. Sometimes about things that have been around for a long time. And sometimes about a seed being planted. 

Most importantly, we engaged in conversation; we should always continue to do so. Thank you all for your presence and participation!