The Netherlands is facing drinking water scarcity. Permits are getting stricter. But there are smart solutions — and festivals that adopt them first will be ahead of the rest.
Drinking water is no longer a given in the Netherlands. Vitens — the country's largest drinking water supplier — can no longer guarantee new connections in some regions. Festivals are major consumers, and are increasingly in the spotlight of municipalities and provinces.
Vitens, the Province of Gelderland, and the Vallei & Veluwe Water Authority are raising the alarm. New construction projects are already running into water capacity issues — festivals are next in line.
Municipalities and water authorities are setting higher requirements. Water plans are becoming part of permit applications. No plan = no permit.
Sanitation, catering, cooling, cleaning — a multi-day festival uses as much water as a small village. That's getting harder to justify.
Investing in water efficiency now strengthens the permit file and your image. Sustainability becomes a ticket to the front — not the back of the queue.
No two festivals are the same. Here are two realistic combinations — one for a boutique event, one for a large-scale festival. Both based on available techniques and real savings figures.
No time or budget for a complete system? These are the steps you can take right now — without major investment, with immediate results.
Ask your sanitation partner about waterless urinals and water-saving flush units. At most rental companies this costs the same — just a different model.
↓ 30–40% toilet waterAerators and flow reducers on handwash stations cost €5–15 per tap. Halves water use per tap without visitors noticing.
↓ 50% tap waterWrite down how much water you use and where. This document — plus a savings plan — may already be enough for the new permit requirements.
✓ Permit-readyHang a water meter on the main connection. Knowing what you use is step one. FieldFactors has plug-and-play solutions for temporary installations.
📊 Insight = savingsPut up signs at handwash stations ("This festival saves water — you're helping!"). Visitor awareness delivers an average of 10–15% extra savings.
↓ 10–15% through behaviourIs there roof surface, a large tent, or paving that drains toward a collection point? Then rainwater harvesting for cleaning is easy to realise.
💧 Free water for cleaningFrom a water plan for your permit to technical implementation — we connect you with the right suppliers and think along about what fits your event.