The free city festival Hit The City is launching a new program segment: Music Innovation. A large part of the music lineup had already been announced, featuring acts such as Pommelien Thijs, Ronnie Flex & The Fam, Broederliefde, Tramhaus, Circa Waves, Chloe Slater, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, and many more. The Music Innovation program, taking place at POPEI, showcases virtual concerts, immersive installations, and cutting-edge musical experiences. You’ll find boundary-pushing projects like Effenaar Living History and OK AI, along with innovative concepts by artists such as Anneke van Giersbergen, CHARLOT, Dylan van Dael, WITT, Mirusi Mergina, YRSA, AURA, and puntjudith.

Hit The City is a collaboration between Effenaar, Friendly Fire, and ASML, and will take place from Friday, August 29 to Sunday, August 31, 2025, preceded by an opening show on Thursday, August 28. With a large outdoor stage at Ketelhuisplein and various venues spread throughout the city center, the festival provides plenty of space for both established names and exciting new talents.

New this year is the Music Innovation program at POPEI, which on Saturday, August 30, and Sunday, August 31, offers a glimpse into the future of live music. While the festival has always led the way in discovering new artists, this year it also embraces technological innovation for the first time. Visitors can immerse themselves in virtual concerts, immersive installations, and high-tech music experiences. Four pioneering projects – OK AI, HYMNE, Hybrid Music Vibes, and Effenaar Living History – demonstrate how music and technology merge into new forms of experience.

OK AI is a groundbreaking, traveling installation where you can create unique tracks through the interplay of artificial intelligence (AI) and human creativity. Housed in a mobile concert stage, this immersive audiovisual experience offers both professionals and untrained music lovers the chance to collaborate with AI in making music and visuals like never before.

Developed by DOMNIQ (artist Dominique Vleeshouwers) and the WERC Collective, and supported by leading partners such as Adams, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, Effenaar, and ESNS, OK AI is at the forefront of creative innovation.

The HYMNE project presents virtual mini-concerts created in collaboration with four artists, where audio, visuals, and technology come together in AR, VR, or MR experiences. Anneke van Giersbergen offers a VR experience based on her new track Passage of Time, while visitors can step into the virtual worlds of singer-songwriter CHARLOT and Dylan van Dael’s chrome-colored 3D character Pokka. The dreamy world of the electronic music project WITT is also explored.

HYMNE is a collaboration between the CORTEX2 platform, 4DR Studios, and Effenaar Lab, supported by the European Union.

Hybrid Music Vibes gives artists the opportunity to explore and integrate new technologies into their work. Mirusi Mergina, YRSA, AURA, and puntjudith have recently developed innovative projects, some of which will be showcased at Hit The City. Mirusi’s Resonance of the Self is a sound installation that responds live to the artist’s body movements, uniting performer and music. YRSA’s Samen Alleen in het Clubhuis uses visitors’ phones to create light patterns that enhance the connection between artist and audience. AURA’s Tussen eb en vloed makes sound visible and tangible through lasers and smoke, synchronized with her music.

This initiative is a collaboration between Effenaar Lab, Rockacademie Tilburg, Thunderboom Records, Studio Wotto, and Bureau Difficult Things, supported by Cultuurloket DigitALL.

Experience the rich history of pop venue Effenaar through an interactive VR experience. Visitors can virtually walk through nostalgic spaces and discover hidden objects that take them back to the turbulent 1970s and ’80s, when legendary bands like Joy Division, Talking Heads, and Red Hot Chili Peppers performed at Effenaar.

The experience is developed by Effenaar Lab and 4DR Studios and is supported by the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision.

OK AI by DOMNIQ – Passage of Time by Anneke van Giersbergen – Lost Like Alice by CHARLOT – Insomnia by WITT – Resonance of the Self by Mirusi Mergina – Samen alleen in het Clubhuis by YRSA – Tussen eb en vloed by AURA – PUNTJUDITH – Effenaar Living History by Effenaar Lab x 4DR Studios