It’s now just a week until The Warehouse Project Rotterdam and knowing how good a weekend is at Depot Mayfield, we can’t wait to see what a full bank holiday is like on tour in the Netherlands.
The Warehouse Project was recently voted the best club night in the world (yes, the world), so you know for a fact that their first foray into hosting abroad is going to be just as impressive.
Now, if you’re anything like us then you need to plan ahead of any festival, let alone one overseas, so we thought we’d put together a little gig guide for anyone attending or even those of you who are still on the fence.
Let’s start with the easy stuff: The Warehouse Project Rotterdam kicks off on Friday, 28 April and runs until Sunday, meaning you still have the bank holiday Monday to recover and make your way back home.
Situated over at RDM Rotterdam, an old shipbuilding facility located on the docks of the city’s canal system, this warehouse of choice can cram in around 5,000 people, so it’s going to be quite the atmosphere in there.
The party kicks off at 8pm on the Friday with curfew at 4am and it’s the same closing time on Saturday only you can get there from 6pm; Sunday is even earlier start at 2pm with a midnight curfew, but you’ll probably be thankful for it in the morning.
Are there still tickets left?
Yes, lucky for you there are still tickets for WHP Rotterdam and depending on your plans for the weekend you can either grab a single general admission day ticket for £60 for Friday/Saturday and just £45 for Sunday, or secure yourself a full weekend pass for £150 that will cover you for all three days.
Better still, as well as the full WHP Rotterdam weekender pass, if you’re interested in any of the boat and after parties, they’ll only set you back £20 plus booking fee.
Lastly, if you really fancy treating yourself for the weekend, there is the option to upgrade to VIP after booking for £49 per person, which includes Fastlane entry, VIP Toilets and a private bar. Boujee.
WHP Rotterdam Lineup
As for who you’ll be seeing, in case you haven’t peeped it already, the lineup for WHP Rotterdam is absolutely insane — well up there with any night you could hope for back in 0161 — with big names across all three nights.
With the likes of Bicep, Peggy Gou, Overmono, Seth Troxler, DJ EZ and many more on the bill, it’s easy to see why WHP Rotterdam is set to be one of the biggest nights of the year.
As if this wasn’t enough, you’ve also got boat parties and after-parties once the sets are said and done, and you can also download the official WHP app for a full list of set times to make sure you manage your clashes and don’t miss a second. Here’s who you’ll be seeing:
When it comes to where you can stay for the Rotterdam weekender, there are still a handful of rooms left at the main WHP accommodation hub, King Kong Hostel, which will also be featuring exclusive pre-parties in their in-house bar. Here’s what it has to offer:
King Kong Hotel & Hostel
Award-winning hostel and hotel in Witte de Withstraat (cool district)
Movie lounge, live entertainment and bar
Mixture of dorms and stylish private rooms from just £50 per person
You can add any available rooms that are left to the rest of your booking and even if choose to simply book an Airbnb as well, RDM Rotterdam isn’t far from the city centre anyway, so getting back and forth won’t involve the usual stress that often follows going to a festival.
Travel
Speaking of travel, there will be shuttle services running from a few key locations in Rotterdam to RDM, including the after-parties after the event.
There are also water taxis which can help ferry you around to and from the venue, not to mention around the city, with more than 50 mooring points available.
As for how you get to Rotterdam itself, well that’s up to you; you can get a Eurostar train from London, a ferry from either Hull, Newcastle or Harwich, or even get WHP coach pick-up from around £90.
You can find out plenty more about travel on the ‘routes’ section of the website and if you want all the logistics sorted for you, you can always just book a full accommodation and travel package.
If that lineup alone doesn’t convince you, Rotterdam is a gorgeous destination and has plenty to offer throughout the day and The Warehouse Project has also put together a helpful city guide so never have to wonder what to get up to in the hours before the party starts.
WHP RDM is the legendary music event’s first-ever international date and it’s set to be a night you’ll never forget — or three, to be precise.
You can grab your tickets HERE and we’ll hopefully see you there!
Bob Vylan dropped from Manchester music festival following Glastonbury controversy
Danny Jones
English punk rap duo Bob Vylan have been dropped from an upcoming music festival in Manchester following the recent controversy surrounding their set at Glastonbury 2025.
The media storm surrounding their much-talked-about and heavily televised Glasto appearance has seen them reportedly dropped by their agency and their US Visas cancelled, along with multiple concerts – one of those being right here in Greater Manchester.
Bob Vylan were scheduled to play RADAR Fest at Victoria Warehouse in Stretford this weekend, but now the organisers have informed gig-goers that the artists will not be performing in their planned slot on Saturday.
The alternative music event did provide any additional details, posting nothing but this image:
For anyone unaware, Vylan were heavily criticised for the pro-Palestine chants, which Glastonbury itself has deemed as having “crossed a line”, labelling the chants against the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) as antisemitic.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has also commented on the situation.
In addition to RADAR, Vylan were also due to appear at Kave Fest in France the following Sunday, 6 July, but the music event has also decided not to host them.
The BBC also opted not to broadcast Northern Irish band Kneecap as part of their coverage this year, as the Belfast rap trio have also been outspoken on the issue, among many other musicians of late.
Responding to the decision on social media not long after the news broke, the act simply shared the post on their Instagram story along with the caption: “Silence is not an option. We will be fine, the people of Palestine are hurting. Manchester, we will be back.”
Manchester crowned one of the world’s best cities for music lovers
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been crowned one of the world’s best cities for music lovers, even beating out New York along the way.
If there’s one thing Manchester is known and loved for over anything else, it’s music.
From Oasis and Joy Division, to Happy Mondays, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, The 1975, and even more modern-day acts, there’s no end to the amount of talented artists this city has produced or been home to over the years, all contributing to Manchester being one of the most prestigious music cities there is.
The city’s live music scene has always been thriving, and that continues right through to this very day, as you’ll see big-name musicians including Manchester as a destination in their UK tour schedules more often than not.
This summer is all set to be a sensational celebration of sound, as not only is an immersive art trail, Music for the Senses, taking over the city from this week, but this year’s annual Manchester Day will be music-themed too, marking one of the biggest years for Manchester music in a long time.
Manchester has been named one of the best cities in the world for music lovers / Credit: Manchester City Council | Eldhose Kuryian (via Unsplash)
Oh, and there’s also the small matter of Oasis reforming for a UK tour, including a run of gigs at Heaton Park this month.
So it’s no surprise that Manchester has been named one of the best cities in the world for music lovers, especially as the IFPI Global Music Report has revealed that the UK has the third largest music market globally – with the music industry’s contribution to the UK economy being £6.7 billion on average.
Taking this recent report into consideration, the experts over at SeatPick have collated data to uncover the best UK cities for music lovers, analysing factors such as the number of concerts, homegrown talents, music businesses, and the total number of music venues, to reveal each city’s overall music score out of 10.
Coming in at second place with a music scene score of 8.97/10 is Manchester.
2025 is all set to be a sensational summer of sound in our city / Credit: Supplied
“Manchester remains one of the UK’s most iconic music cities and with 1,204 concerts between 2025-2026, 116 live music venues, and 380 homegrown acts, the city’s live music offering is as strong as ever,” SeatPick said of its findings.
“2025 is shaping up to be a historic year for Manchester, with Oasis reuniting for the first time in over a decade, with a massive comeback show at Heaton Park – the very spot where they played their last hometown gig in 2009.”
While Manchester may have missed out on the UK’s top spot, with that title going to London, in the global rankings, our city has claimed an impressive sixth place, beating out New York’s influential music scene.
Liverpool and Leeds are two of the other northern cities in the UK’s top 10, taking fifth and sixth place respectively.
“Cities which have a larger number of music businesses are key in creating the perfect city for music fans, as this impacts the city’s cultural, economic, and social vibrancy,” explained Gilad Zilberman, who is the CEO of SeatPick.
“A thriving music scene within a city means it can provide more artistic expression, support a wider range of genres, and enrich the cultural landscape, as well as attracting creative talent.”
Danny Jones -
24th April 2023 
