Hit The City completes the line-up with 43 new acts, including Mula and Snapped Ankles
Year: 2026
The programme for Eindhoven’s free city festival was already packed with names such as Typhoon, Jonna Fraser, S10, DEADLETTER and Lambrini Girls. With the announcement of the final additions, the line-up is now complete at 121 artists and bands. Alongside headliner Mula at Ketelhuisplein, Snapped Ankles, Gender Reveal Atomic Bomb, Olkan & La Vipère Rouge, Julia Sabaté, LEMONSUCKR, Parbleu and Arabella Memdouh join the city-wide programme.
Hit The City is a collaboration between Effenaar, Friendly Fire and ASML, taking place on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 August 2026, preceded by an opening show on Thursday 27 August. With a large outdoor stage at Ketelhuisplein and venues spread across the city centre, the festival once again leaves room for both established names and artists you’ll soon be claiming you saw before they broke through.
Mula guarantees a mosh pit at Ketelhuisplein
With his unique blend of classic rap and electropop, Mula — now performing without the “B” — has been leaving a significant mark on the Dutch hip-hop scene for years. During his performance at Best Kept Secret, he turned the TWO stage into a swirling breakbeat frenzy, delivering a set packed with tracks from the acclaimed album Narcopop (2023) alongside older material, never giving the audience a moment to catch their breath. The performance was ranked fifth in the festival’s Top 25 by 3voor12 and named the best show of Friday. Anyone who witnessed it already knows what to expect: Ketelhuisplein is guaranteed to become one giant mosh pit.
From club basement to open-air stages: the festival's many faces
Anyone wandering through the city on Friday and Saturday will naturally be swept up in a diverse mix of music and vibes that showcase the festival in all its forms.
At Snapped Ankles’ show in Effenaar, it may briefly feel as though you’ve stumbled into a forest rave. Dressed in ghillie suits, the band will have audiences dancing to their signature blend of punk and electronica. Friday’s programme at Effenaar kicks off with Girls To The Front, curated by the collective of the same name led by Bibi Bannink, where live performances and activism seamlessly intertwine. Gender Reveal Atomic Bomb explodes punk and riot grrrl into creative chaos, while Hondenfokker tears through a sound that lands somewhere between rave and riot. Meanwhile, the dance floor will be fuelled by sets from the Girls To The Front DJs, Bandgurl666 and KaasFM.
In Dynamo’s basement, the lights dim for LEMONSUCKR, blending alt-rave with dance-punk and rock, hardcore outfit Inherited pushing the BPMs ever higher, and WASTE, effortlessly transforming the room into a sweaty collision of noise and dark post-punk. Room 8 hosts Club Commit, born from the freerunning community and serving as a meeting place for street culture collectives, creative talent and anyone gravitating towards the night. The late-night programme will be curated by DJ !KUEL & friends.
Outdoors, at the new Vrijstaat location, Durum Records curates its own stage filled with summer sounds from around the globe. Alongside previously announced acts such as Yīn Yīn and Fauna, the line-up is now completed by the tropical grooves of Chica Chica, the Mediterranean techno of Olkan & La Vipère Rouge, and the eight-piece collective Parbleu, who fuse Caribbean dub, Latin rhythms and Afrobeat into a sun-soaked celebration. DJ Baba Ganouche will soundtrack Saturday with a groove-filled musical journey, while cosmic funk duo Kagami continue the evening at listening bar Otomoto with a DJ set following their Vrijstaat performance.
The night carries on at Otomoto with DJ sets ranging from the genre-defying French-inspired sounds of Arabella Memdouh to the pop gems of Kit Sebastian and the tropical dancefloor fillers of the Trackvogels DJ set. Discos Horizontes blends cumbia, disco-folk and reggae into a sound that feels as though it has travelled in from every corner of the world.
At Café Prins Hendrik, Kourosh mixes rap and electronics, while Katie Bitchcoin christens cryptopunk as a genre of its own, somewhere between techno, electroclash and punk.
On Stratumseind, K.Zia delivers a raw and story-driven performance filled with soul and alternative R&B at Stage Music Café. At Altstadt, fans of Sharon Van Etten and Sam Fender will find a kindred spirit in Ellur, whose heartfelt indie anthems capture the experience of growing up. Dublin collective Sell Everything combines grunge, jazz and R&B into an energetic and compelling live show.
In collaboration with the Rockacademie, POPEI presents three emerging acts: Säm Wilder, blending neo-soul, R&B and pop; Lucy Fabienne, crafting country-pop for wandering hearts; and Owen Bryce, whose dreamy indie folk is steeped in nostalgia and emotion. Also featured are the melodic pop of Spanish-Dutch singer Julia Sabaté, the poetic electronic pop of puntjudith and the alternative pop of Yrsa.
Music Innovation: the future of music experience
Just as it did last year, Hit The City explores the future of music experiences. At MU, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Jacco Gardner presents ALTERITY, an audiovisual performance installation that combines forgotten technology from the early digital revolution with modern AI. Through generative music, live visuals and spatial audio, Gardner breathes new life into intelligent instruments from the 1980s.
At POPEI, Ramses3000 presents a live performance in which music and visuals are directly connected through a newly developed instrument created in collaboration with Studio Wotto and Effenaar Lab. The work stems from Thalamus, a project in which he explored how music can support focus and calm through the lens of his own experiences with ADHD. This personal journey is translated into a sound that combines classical influences with synthesisers and electronic textures. During the performance, analogue liquid-light techniques from the 1970s merge with digital visuals, allowing image and sound to flow together in real time as one continuous live experience.
Where Eindhoven comes together
As summer slowly draws to a close, Hit The City offers one more reason to celebrate Eindhoven together: three days, more than 100 artists and seventeen venues spread throughout the city. With its accessible and wide-ranging programme, the festival contributes to the region’s cultural landscape and once again turns Eindhoven into a central meeting place for music lovers and curious explorers alike.
The 43 additions:
Mula – Snapped Ankles – ALTERITY by Jacco Gardner – Altstadt DJ team – Arabella
Memdouh (DJ set) – Bandgurl666 – Chica Chica – Club Alt with DJ Sharon and DJ Bob
Discos Horizontes – DJ !KUEL & friends – DJ Baba Ganouche – DJ Iris – DJ Quick Fade – DJ
Sjaak – Dynamo DJ team – Eefke Boelhouwers – Effenaar DJ team – Ellur – Gender Reveal
Atomic Bomb – Girls To The Front DJ set – Hit The City DJ team – Hondenfokker – Inherited
Julia Sabaté – KaasFM – Kagami – Kagami DJ set – Katie Bitchcoin – Kit Sebastian DJ set
Kourosh – K.ZIA – LEMONSUCKR – Lucy Fabienne – Olkan & La Vipère Rouge – Owen Bryce
– Parbleu – puntjudith – Radikal Rupert (Trackvogels DJ set) – Ramses 3000 – Sell Everything
– Säm Wilder – Waste – Yrsa
The whole line-up of Hit The City 2026:
DEADLETTER – High Vis – Jonna Fraser – Kevin – Lambrini Girls – Mula – S10 – Typhoon
Elmer – Jack Shore – jet van der steen – Josylvio – MICHA – Slow Crush – Snapped Ankles
TEN56. – Yīn Yīn – Alice Olsthoorn – ALTERITY by Jacco Gardner – Arabella Memdouh
Automatic – Badminton – badtime – Bandit – Blair Davie – BLOED – Brik Tu-Tok – Ceebo
Charlotte OC – Chica Chica – Club Brat – Coalmine Canary – Croíthe – CROUCH – Def
Devon Rexi – Discos Horizontes – DITTER – DJ Baba Ganouche – DJ !KUEL & friends – Eefke
Boelhouwers – Ellur – Fauna – FIEP – Fit – Fellatio – Frans Kalf – Frozemode – Future Husband
– Gala Dragot – Gallamesh – Gender Reveal Atomic Bomb – Girls To The Front DJ set
Glazyhaze – Greg Freeman – Harpy – Hex Girlfriend – Honey I’m Home – Hondenfokker
HOOFS – Inherited – JACOTÉNE – Janet Livv – Jesse Hoefnagels – jev. – Jools – Julia Sabaté
– Kagami – Kagami DJ set – Katie Bitchcoin – Kirara (live AV) – Kit Sebastian – Kit Sebastian DJ set
– Kourosh – K.Zia – L.A. Sagne – LeBlanc – LEMONSUCKR – Lintworm – Lucy Fabienne – MAYTE
Mek’Dr’Dr – Meryl Streek – Michael Ekow & May – Mouth Ulcers – New Candys – Nyarko
Olkan & La Vipère Rouge – Owen Bryce – Parbleu – PISS – Pixie McCann
– puntjudith – Pyo – Ramses3000 – Säm Wilder – Sell Everything – Serve – Silverlake
Snackbar – Space Age DJ Collective – Supermarkt – TJE – Trackvogels DJ set
UITZENDBUREAU – Vals Alarm – WASTE – Wijf – Wrong Man – Yazal – Yrsa
DJ support sets: Altstadt DJ team – Bandgurl666 – Club Alt with DJ Sharon and DJ Bob –
Dynamo DJ team – Effenaar DJ team – DJ Iris – DJ Quick Fade – DJ Sjaak – Hit The City DJ
team – KaasFM
Hit The City announces 24 new names, including Def, Harpy, JACOTÉNE and Fauna
Year: 2026
Hit The City has announced 24 new acts for the upcoming edition of the free city festival in Eindhoven. Earlier, the festival already made an impression with names such as S10, Jonna Fraser, Typhoon, High Vis, DEADLETTER and Lambrini Girls. The line-up is now expanding further with a new wave of acts from both the Netherlands and abroad. From post-punk and indie rock to hip-hop, hyperpop and electronic acts: there will once again be plenty to discover across Eindhoven’s city centre at the end of August. Newly confirmed artists include Def, Harpy, JACOTÉNE, Fauna, Meryl Streek, Nyarko, CROUCH, jev. and DITTER.
Hit The City is a collaboration between Effenaar, Friendly Fire and ASML, and will take place on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 August 2026, preceded by an opening show on Thursday 27 August. With a large outdoor stage at Ketelhuisplein and venues spread throughout the city centre, the festival once again offers plenty of room for both established names and artists you’ll soon be able to say you saw before they blew up.
Four new locations to discover
Eindhoven recently gained a new creative meeting space with Vrijstaat: a venue featuring a stage, skate hall and festival garden right in the heart of the city. During Hit The City, the location will provide the backdrop for summery pop sounds from all corners of the globe. Alongside previously announced headliner Yīn Yīn, visitors can also catch Fauna, whose organic instrumentation and psychedelia effortlessly push toward the dancefloor. The psychedelic pop duo Kit Sebastian and Space Age DJ Collective will also perform there, blending disco, Italo, groove and forgotten gems from around the world into eclectic DJ sets.
The Nieuwe Oude Rechtbank will open its doors to the public for the first time during Hit The City. The distinctive venue immediately receives a fitting line-up: audiences will experience the striking voice of JACOTÉNE, an artist capable of silencing an entire room with ease. Acclaimed singer-songwriter Charlotte OC, praised by Billboard, Vogue and The Independent, is also on the programme, alongside rising pop artist Pixie McCann with her offbeat garage dream pop. Frans Kalf has been upgraded to the Nieuwe Oude Rechtbank and will perform there with a full band. With sharp lyrics, he guides listeners through his bittersweet world under the approving gaze of Ramses Shaffy and Jacques Brel — a place where heartbreak and roaring laughter coexist.
On Stratumseind, Stage Music Café becomes the home for everything balancing between hip-hop, trap and hyperpop. Nyarko combines her Ghanaian roots with Dutch influences into a vibrant afrosound filled with different languages and styles. Congolese-Canadian artist jev. merges experimental hip-hop and R&B into music centred around connection and daring to be different. Meanwhile, Janet Livv moves effortlessly between drum ’n’ bass, UK garage and pop.
Café Prins Hendrik is the place for anyone who prefers experiencing concerts half a metre away from the amplifier. There you’ll find Brussels-based post-punk duo Mek’Dr’Dr, where grooving basslines and chaotic rhythms collide in a live show that makes standing still impossible.
For lovers of the mosh pit
Fans of anything loud and combustible will feel right at home at Dynamo this year. Among the acts is punk producer Meryl Streek, whose experimental electronics and raw punk sound like the world could collapse at any moment. Audiences can also witness alt-metal goddess Harpy with her dark industrial goth-pop, while WIJF unleashes a wall of noise built from vintage stoner rock, sludge and groove. UITZENDBUREAU delivers confrontational music about police, dystopia and the establishment, while CLUB BRAT pushes the chaos even further with an eclectic mix of punk and noise pop.
Just down the road at Café The Jack, HOOFS performs a relentless blend of punk, noise and post-punk. Not exactly music for the faint-hearted — but visitors are welcome to find that out for themselves.
A new wave of future favorites
On Saturday, the Main Hall of Effenaar will be taken over by hip-hop artist Def. With his sultry, zeroes-inspired sound, short yet effective tracks and impeccable sense of timing, he has rapidly become one of Gen Z’s most distinctive new voices. His track “Bad Bitches Luisteren Def” went viral on TikTok, catapulting him from the internet straight into packed venues. In the Small Hall, visitors can catch Devon Rexi, an interdimensional dub collective flirting with motorik krautrock, heavily rooted in dub and constantly pushing the boundaries of what music can be.
Meanwhile, Altstadt offers a healthy dose of guitar-driven chaos. Belgian trio DITTER proves that pop and punk can work perfectly together when paired with a strong sense of humour and cynicism. Fans of Arctic Monkeys should not miss Bandit, bringing a gritty yet irresistibly catchy mix of indie, post-punk and shoegaze.
Somewhere between EKKSTACY, Mareux and The Haunted Youth you’ll find Pyo at Café Wilhelmina: a blend of modern post-punk and new wave with a clear nod to the eighties. Also performing is FIEP, delivering indie rock that goes beyond sharp hooks and catchy melodies, recommended for fans of Wet Leg, Porridge Radio and Alvvays. Frisian pop also gets a place at the festival: MAYTE proves that quirky Frisian-language alt-pop works surprisingly well in Brabant.
Where Eindhoven comes together
As summer slowly comes to an end, Hit The City offers one final reason to celebrate Eindhoven together: three days, 100+ artists and seventeen venues spread across the city. With its accessible and wide-ranging programme, the festival contributes to the region’s cultural landscape and once again turns Eindhoven into a central meeting place.
The 24 new names:
Bandit / CLUB BRAT / Charlotte OC / CROUCH / Def / Devon Rexi / DITTER / Fauna / FIEP / Harpy / HOOFS / JACOTÉNE / Janet Livv / jev. / Kit Sebastian / MAYTE / Mek’Dr’Dr / Meryl Streek / Nyarko / Pixie McCann / Pyo / Space Age DJ Collective / WIJF / UITZENDBUREAU + many more to be announced
The whole line-up so far:
Typhoon / S10 / Lambrini Girls / Kevin / Jonna Fraser / High Vis / DEADLETTER / Yīn Yīn / ten56. / Slow Crush / MICHA / Josylvio / jet van der steen / Jack Shore / Elmer / Yazal / Wrong Man / WIJF / Vals Alarm / UITZENDBUREAU / TJE / Supermarkt / Space Age DJ Collective / Snackbar / Silver Lake / Serve / Pyo / PISS / Pixie McCann / New Candys / Nyarko / Mouth Ulcers / Michael Ekow & May / Meryl Streek / Mek’Dr’Dr / MAYTE / Lintworm / LeBlanc / L.A. Sagne / Kit Sebastian / Kirara / Jools / JACOTÉNE / Jesse Hoefnagels / Janet Livv / jev. / Honey I’m Home / HOOFS / Hex Girlfriend / Harpy /Greg Freeman / Glazyhaze / Gallamesh / Gala Dragot / Future Husband / Frozemode / Frans Kalf / FIEP / Fellatio / Fit / Fauna /Def / Devon Rexi / DITTER / Croíthe / CROUCH / Coalmine Canary / CLUB BRAT / Ceebo / Charlotte OC / Brik Tu-Tok / Blair Davie / BLOED / Bandit / Badtime / Badminton / Automatic / Alice Olsthoorn + many more TBA
High Vis, S10, Lambrini Girls and Typhoon among the first 54 names announced for Hit The City 2026
Year: 2026
Also confirmed: DEADLETTER and rising talents Jack Shore, Slow Crush and ten56.
The free-to-attend Hit The City festival returns from Thursday 27 August to Saturday 29 August with a brand-new edition, continuing its steady growth. At the end of summer, Eindhoven and beyond will come together for three days of live music, as the festival further strengthens its presence in the city with the addition of five new venues. The first 54 acts have now been confirmed, including DEADLETTER, High Vis, Jonna Fraser, Kevin, Lambrini Girls, S10, Typhoon, Elmer, Jack Shore, jet van der steen, Josylvio, MICHA, Slow Crush, ten56., Yīn Yīn and many more.
Last year, Hit The City delivered its biggest edition to date, welcoming 41,500 visitors who took over Eindhoven’s city centre for a weekend of major names and exciting discoveries. The festival once again proved its versatility: from mosh pits in a packed Café The Jack and intimate shows at De Rozenknop, to collective moments at Ketelhuisplein. With the addition of new venues Vrijstaat, Nieuwe Oude Rechtbank, Otomoto, Café Prins Hendrik and Stage Music Café, this year’s edition adds even more dimensions to the festival.
Major headliners at Ketelhuisplein
The large outdoor stage at Ketelhuisplein, with a capacity of around 7,000 visitors, once again sets the scene for high-profile Dutch headliners. On Friday, hip-hop fans can look forward to Rotterdam rapper Kevin, New Wave member Jonna Fraser and Typhoon, who combines high-energy performances with honest and vulnerable lyrics.
On Saturday, the focus shifts to the breadth of Dutch pop and hip-hop. Singer-songwriter MICHA brings his signature “happy sad” pop, Amsterdam rapper Elmer turns up the intensity, Josylvio delivers raw street energy that inevitably leads to mosh pits, and S10 proves how her distinctive alt-pop—following her Alpha-stage success at Lowlands – effortlessly moves the Ketelhuisplein crowd.
Opening night at Effenaar
The festival kicks off on Thursday evening at Effenaar with DEADLETTER, whose sound—somewhere between The Fall and LCD Soundsystem—has quickly established them as one of today’s most exciting post-punk bands, following appearances at festivals such as Paaspop. Headliner High Vis is another act that needs little introduction for those who saw them live last year: after standout performances at Jera On Air and as support for Turnstile, they now play what is currently their only confirmed Dutch show at Hit The City. Irish band Croíthe, tipped by fans as one to watch, completes the line-up with a dark blend of post-punk, goth and shoegaze.
A musical route through Eindhoven
The diverse flavours of Hit The City once again come together in a city-wide programme that unfolds like a route through Eindhoven. On Friday, Effenaar hosts Girls to the Front, where Lambrini Girls – after packing Café The Jack to capacity in 2023- make the jump to the Main Hall. Female and queer punk bands Jools, Vals Alarm, L.A. Sagne, PISS, Supermarkt and Snackbar further fuel the activist spirit.
Things get even louder at Dynamo and Café The Jack, with a new wave of metalcore and hardcore acts such as ten56., SERVE and Wrong Man, alongside heavy bands Lintworm, BLOED, Coalmine Canary and Gallamesh, and the rough-edged (post-)punk of Mouth Ulcers and Hex Girlfriend. At Altstadt, you’ll find some of the most exciting indie acts, including French electronic artist LeBlanc and post-punk trio Automatic, while Stage Music Café shifts toward genre-blurring performances from artists like Ceebo, Frozemode, Michael Ekow & May and Ɣazal.
New venues further shape the programme: Nieuwe Oude Rechtbank offers more intimate moments with Greg Freeman, Silver Lake and TJE, alongside the familiar De Rozenknop, where you’ll find singer-songwriter Blair Davie, the indie folk of Frans Kalf and the art-pop of Gala Dragot. At Café Wilhelmina, indie pop band Future Husband and Popronde favourite Fit take the stage, while the adjoining, tiny Café Prins Hendrik provides just enough room for the energetic electronic duo badtime and queer rave phenomenon Alice Olsthoorn.
Right in the city centre, Vrijstaat emerges as a new festival hub, where you can dance to summery pop from around the globe, including Yīn Yīn, and keep going late into the night with DJs at Otomoto.
On Saturday, the focus shifts to danceable live acts at Effenaar, featuring fast-rising pop star jet van der steen, YouTube sensation Jesse Hoefnagels and Jack Shore, who delivers a 360° live experience in a Boiler Room-inspired setting. Meanwhile, the Small Hall erupts with krautrock disco-punk from Fellatio, the DIY musical trip of Brik Tu-Tok and a live AV set from South Korean producer Kirara. At Dynamo, the festival proves shoegaze is very much alive, showcasing a new generation of bands including Honey I’m Home, Glazyhaze, Slow Crush and New Candys.
A boost for the region
As late summer draws to a close and daily life slowly resumes, Hit The City invites residents of the Brainport region—and far beyond—to come together and celebrate Eindhoven. With a recognisable, accessible and inclusive music festival, it provides an important boost to the region’s cultural offering.
Hit The City 2026 takes place from Thursday 27 August to Saturday 29 August across 18 indoor and outdoor venues in Eindhoven. The entire festival is free to attend. Now in its thirteenth year, Hit The City continues to make its mark on the music scene, with a sharp eye for emerging talent. Over the years, the festival has hosted early performances by major acts such as 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 the past two editions, the festival also introduced larger headliners, including Sampa the Great, MEROL, The Haunted Youth, Broederliefde, Pommelien Thijs, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets and Ronnie Flex & The Fam.
Hit The City is programmed by Effenaar and Friendly Fire, and is made possible in part by ASML and Gemeente Eindhoven.
Info:
Hit The City 2026
Thursday 27 August – Saturday 29 August
Eindhoven
Free entry
The first 54 names:
DEADLETTER / High Vis / Jonna Fraser / Kevin / Lambrini Girls / S10 / Typhoon / Elmer / Jack Shore / jet van der steen / Josylvio / MICHA / Slow Crush / ten56. / Yīn Yīn / Alice Olsthoorn / Automatic / Badminton / badtime / BLOED / Blair Davie / Brik Tu-Tok / Ceebo / Coalmine Canary / Croíthe / Fellatio / Fit / Frans Kalf / Frozemode / Future Husband / Gala Dragot / Gallamesh / Glazyhaze / Greg Freeman / Hex Girlfriend / Honey I’m Home / Jesse Hoefnagels / Jools / Kirara / L.A. Sagne / LeBlanc / Lintworm / Michael Ekow & May / Mouth Ulcers / New Candys / PISS / SERVE / Snackbar / Silver Lake / Supermarkt / TJE / Vals Alarm / Wrong Man / Ɣazal + many more TBA