Late-night meetings, weekends spent working and plans that had to be cancelled. The first edition of Reignite Festival has kept Nick, Roel and Bram more than busy over the past year. What started as an idea between three friends grew into a project they say has occupied them almost 24/7. With 12 September now fast approaching, they reflect on how Reignite has affected their personal lives and their friendship.
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Almost everything revolved around Reignite
Alongside Reignite, Nick, Roel and Bram all have their own jobs and personal lives. They knew organising their first festival would take up a lot of time. Just how much, they did not quite anticipate. “We’ve had to sacrifice a lot, and Reignite has basically been something we’ve literally been working on 24/7. Almost everything over the past year has revolved around 12 September.”
That was noticeable at home as well. Plans were rescheduled, phone calls interrupted other moments and conversations somehow always ended up being about the festival. Fortunately, the organisers could count on plenty of understanding. “Without that support, it honestly would have been a lot more difficult. At the same time, some people at home will probably also be happy once 12 September is over and we have a little more time and attention for other things again, haha.”
The enthusiastic reactions from classics fans made those sacrifices easier for the three friends. “We’re working on something we genuinely want to create.”
“The fourth member of our group”
Their friendship also took on a new dimension over the past year. Going to festivals together turned out to be very different from making decisions together that involve time, money and responsibility. “You experience each other under pressure, you have to deal with different opinions and sometimes you have to have difficult conversations.”
Along the way, they discovered new sides of each other. Who stays calm when things get stressful, who immediately jumps into action and when does someone simply need a little space? Although they certainly did not always agree, the project ultimately strengthened their friendship as well. “Of course, we haven’t always agreed on everything, but in the end it has brought us closer together too.”
There has not been much room for other topics of conversation either. “Reignite has basically become the fourth member of our group. After 12 September, we’ll probably have to rediscover what we used to talk about before all of this.”
Festivals suddenly look very different
Their perspective on festivals has changed too. As visitors, they barely thought about everything required to make a single festival day possible. Now they know how much work goes into even the smallest details. “Now we see everything that’s needed: safety, power, site layout, fencing, trackway, toilets, artist handling, staff, permits, logistics… The list never ends!”
The sheer number of small details was one of the things they underestimated most. With what they know now, they would divide certain tasks earlier and make some decisions more quickly. “There are also things you simply can’t know beforehand. You have to experience them first in order to learn from them.”
Either way, their next festival visit will feel different. “We’ll never walk around a festival site in the same way again.”
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The build-up of Reignite has begun
After a year of preparations, the festival is now physically taking shape in Vinkel. The build-up has begun, the final practical details are being ticked off and the schedules are being checked one last time. “The nerves are definitely starting to kick in now. Everything we’ve worked so incredibly hard towards over the past year is suddenly becoming reality.”
According to the organisers, the coming days will still involve “1001 things at once.” But above all, they are excited to finally see what they have been working towards all this time. Once it is all over, Nick, Roel and Bram hope they will be able to say one thing to each other: “We actually did it.”
“We hope the three of us can look out over the festival site with pride and say that all the late nights, stress and sacrifices were worth it. And maybe, if we still have a little energy left, that we’ll do it all over again.”
Reignite Festival takes place on Saturday 12 September 2026 in Vinkel. Tickets for the first edition are available via the official website.
