A preliminary relief judge at the District Court of Amsterdam has ruled that the city municipality has no authority to interfere with private subleasing agreements made for festival grounds in Sloterpark.
Event organizer No Art brought the civil case against the city after being denied permission to use part of the park for a planned two-day festival in 2027.
Private lease agreements upheld
The Westzijde Sloterpark site is split into two sections, with one portion leased directly from the municipality by sports center operator Optisport.
Optisport signed an exclusive sub-lease agreement granting existing festival organizers Loveland and Mystic Garden sole access rights to that portion of the grounds.
Because No Art was refused access by the leaseholder, the court ruled that freedom of contract applies and the city cannot mandate which private partners Optisport works with.
Municipal allocation process continues
To host a large event for over 1,500 visitors in the city, organizers must secure a spot on the official event calendar managed by the Municipality of Amsterdam.
The venue is restricted to a maximum of two major two-day festivals per year with over 20,000 daily visitors.
The city is currently running an official allocation procedure to rank competing applications for the 2027 calendar slots.
Further legal steps remain open
The judge noted that the civil court is not the proper venue to challenge ongoing municipal permit decisions.
If the city ultimately rejects No Art’s permit application through the formal allocation process, the organizer can appeal that choice before an administrative court.
