The free Hit The City festival is kicking off a new edition! At the end of summer, Eindhoven and far beyond will come together for four days of live acts, indoor and outdoor stages, and a vibrant day-to-night program. From Thursday, August 28 through Sunday, August 31, new musical talent and established acts can be discovered at various locations throughout the city. The first 31 names are in, and this year you’ll see: Broederliefde, Ronnie Flex & The Fam, Tramhaus, Maan, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, DITZ, Chloe Slater, SUPERSTRINGS, Matilda Mann, The Indien, BLANKS, and many more.

Ketelhuisplein, which can host up to 7,000 visitors, is once again a central hub. In this first wave of announcements, the festival places a strong focus on Dutch talent. Genre-defying icon Ronnie Flex — the most streamed artist in the Netherlands last year — is working on a new album and recently announced he plans to make only two more before retiring. Hit The City will host an explosive performance by Ronnie Flex & The Fam. The second headliner is Broederliefde, a Rotterdam-based act whose blend of hip-hop and Caribbean dance music has captivated The Netherlands. After a sold-out Ahoy and a successful club tour, they return to Eindhoven. Adding to the line-up at Ketelhuisplein are the sunny pop sounds of Maan, BLANKS, and The Indien — a perfect match for the open-air stage.

The festival kicks off on Thursday night at the Effenaar’s main hall with a headline set from the popular Australian psych-rock band Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. Often mentioned in the same breath as fellow Australians King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and Tame Impala, the band will release their seventh studio album, Carpe Diem, Moonman, this year. Belgian alt-rock/shoegaze band Eosine will open the night, kicking off the festival weekend as the first act on stage.

On Friday, Hit The City pays tribute to one of Eindhoven’s most iconic venues: Stroomhuis, which was tragically lost in a fire last October. Longtime Stroomhuis collaborators Tramhaus will curate the main hall program at Effenaar, joined by local band SØWT and the high-energy oi-punk band The Chisel. Stroomhuis will also take over the Small Hall, with confirmed acts including DITZ — who previously blew the roof off at Café The Jack — and the lively indie-rock outfit KEG.

On Friday and Saturday, the city program offers a wide variety of rising acts. Indie fans can look forward to feminist indie-rocker Chloe Slater, the raw energy of Cliffords — both crowd favorites at Eurosonic Noorderslag this year — and the nostalgic guitar pop of Teenage Dads. You can dance to the electro-pop duo Aili, the instrumental jazztronica of Tukan, and the explosive hyperpop of Babymorocco. From Kaat van Stralen — who scored a hit in Belgium with her raw anthem “Stop Met Wenen” and won De Nieuwe Lichting 2025 — to the atmospheric indie-folk of Matilda Mann, soft Dutch-language electropop by TEUN, the warm soul-pop of Jerub, and the gorgeous Afro-soul of LULU.

Hip-hop is strongly represented this year with a new generation of artists exploring the genre’s full spectrum. Among them: underground favorite Brunzyn and the experimental UK sounds of Jawnino, Slew, and KiLLOWEN.

The party continues well into the night. The Nijmegen-based collective Superstrings will pay tribute to the golden era of trance, while Buunshin and Cait C deliver heavy-hitting drum and bass sets.

While most are easing back into routine at summer’s end, Hit The City invites the residents of the Brainport region — and far beyond — to celebrate the city of Eindhoven together. With a recognizable, accessible, and open music festival, the event provides a valuable boost to the region’s cultural offerings.

Hit The City 2025 takes place from Thursday, August 28 to Sunday, August 31 at various indoor and outdoor venues throughout Eindhoven. The entire festival is free to attend. Now in its twelfth year, Hit The City is proud of its growing impact on the music scene. With a keen eye for emerging talent, the festival has hosted major acts in their early days, including Loyle Carner, Phoebe Bridgers, Viagra Boys, Fontaines D.C., Khruangbin, Joost, S10, Zwangere Guy, Alex G, Baauer, Wolf Alice, Glass Animals, Lander & Adriaan, Hak Baker, DITZ, Nusantara Beat, and more. In 2024, the festival welcomed its first larger headliners, including Sampa the Great, MEROL, and The Haunted Youth.

Hit The City is curated by Effenaar and Friendly Fire and powered by ASML.

Info:
Hit The City 2025
Thursday, August 28 – Sunday, August 31
Eindhoven
Free admission

First 31 acts announced:
Broederliefde / Ronnie Flex & The Fam / BLANKS / Chloe Slater / DITZ / Maan / Matilda Mann / Psychedelic Porn Crumpets / SUPERSTRINGS / The Chisel / The Indien / Tramhaus / Aili / Babymorocco / Brunzyn / Buunshin / CaitC / Cliffords / Eosine / Jawnino / Jerub / Kaat van Stralen / KEG / KiLLOWEN / LULU. / Lusaint / Slew / SØWT / Teenage Dads / TEUN / Tukan + many more to be announced