Traditionally, the Stukafest is an annual event held in February. It makes an appearance in some thirteen guises, in student cities across the country. But with an easing of restrictions just around the corner, this year many cities decided to postpone their festival by a month. Among them Eindhoven. This proved a brilliant move, tells Simon de Vries (21). The student of Industrial Design has nearly completed his bachelor's and is president and programmer of Stukafest Eindhoven.

“We had all kinds of scenarios worked out, assuming that we'd be checking QR codes, for example, or having to send people home at a set time or asking visitors to observe the 1.5 meter rule. That we wouldn't have to work with a single one of these measures...we did not see that coming at all.”

So after being held online last year, Stukafest Eindhoven 2022 is back to being an old-fashioned live event. This is the thirteenth time that Stukafest has been put on in Eindhoven. Tickets go on sale - online - today at 12 noon.

Cycling

Stukafest is all about performances by artists including musicians, standup comedians and cabaret artists in student rooms. Visitors choose three performances from the line-up, and cycle at 20.00, 21.00 and 22.00 hrs from one student house to the next in any order, catching the next performance.

“This year we also have performances at other venues: in Altstadt and TAC. We think it's a fun idea to introduce first- and second-year students to the venues Eindhoven has to offer; they've probably not been able to get to them thanks to corona,” says De Vries.

Another special feature is the performance held in the upcoming city's woodland near the old nursing accommodation on Vestdijk, now student housing: “a hallucinatory show involving light-emitting hula hoops,” by ‘flow artist’ Luminous Nova.

Drag show

Teun Wittenbols (23) is room coordinator and in charge of premises acquisition for Stukafest Eindhoven. He recently completed his Bachelor of Industrial Design. “My own room is one of the locations involved in Stukafest. My housemates will be receiving the artists and the audiences, because I expect to spend the entire evening running all over the place.”

Which performance is he most looking forward to? “I am curious about cabaret artist Kai Bodewitz, who I happen to know from a job I have.” The Amsterdam Student Cabaret Festival is already a feather in the cap of the 21-year-old artist from Eindhoven.

For his part, De Vries's tip is the drag show performed by Haus von Wytch. “That's what's so great about Stukafest, you'll see all kinds of acts.” Also on the program is the trash metal band Headless Hunter. “We feel it's a good match because Eindhoven has a strong metal scene.”

But, uh, deafening metal in a house? Wittenbols reassures us that this was taken into account when the location was chosen: a student house with a shed. “And we have distributed a standard letter to all the participating houses so that they can let their neighborhood know what's going on.”

Kitchen Rave

Before enjoying the performances, Stukafest visitors can join in with ‘Stukafood’, communal dining in the Stroomhuis, where the DJs from The Kitchen Rave will prepare a student meal while spinning the decks.

The Stroomhuis is also where the festival will come to an end. From 23.00 hrs it's the venue of the afterparty, with performances by Whiff, Tape Toy and others.

Tickets go on sale Wednesday March 9th at 12.00 hrs in the ticket shop. Prices range from 4.50 euros for a single performance to 24 euros for three performances including Stukafood beforehand and the afterparty.

In the main photo, the punk band Paracetamøl performing at Stukafest 2020.