Stichting Terug naar het begin

What Stichting Terug naar het begin does

Stichting Terug naar het begin is a Dutch non-profit cultural foundation (ANBI-status) established around 2009-2010 and headquartered at Julianaweg 3, 9901 CN Appingedam, Netherlands. The organization operates an annual three-day performing arts festival (TNHB) — currently in its 17th edition as of May 29-31, 2026 — in which visitors cycle between intimate 12th-13th century churches across the Groningse wierden landscape in the municipality of Eemsdelta to attend performances by national and international artists. The festival reaches approximately 2,000 visitors per edition and is delivered by a small paid staff of 9 supported by a much larger volunteer base and local church and village committees.

The foundation's product portfolio centers on tiered festival admissions (passepartouts at €109, weekend tickets at €99, single-day tickets at €54, and Friday opening night tickets around €21.50), supplemented by add-on services such as bike rentals (€5-€65), boat tickets (€12.50), shuttle bus (€5-€15), parking (€1.50-€4.50), and a musical breakfast experience (€7.50). A 2026 product extension called Audiowandeling Baaierm, a 2.2 km location-based audio walking tour developed with Stichting Ruimtereis, allows the cultural experience to be consumed independently and year-round beyond the festival weekend.

Revenue is generated through a diversified mix: consumer ticket sales, an annual friends club membership (De Terugkeerders at €50/year), regional ambassador contributions (€400/year), corporate sponsorships (starting €1,000/year), and significant government and cultural-fund subsidies from providers including Mondriaan Fonds, Fonds Podiumkunsten, Provincie Groningen, Gemeente Eemsdelta, VSBfonds, Fonds 21, and others. The organization has no proprietary technology platform, no AI capabilities, and operates exclusively within the Netherlands, with no public listing or M&A activity.

Name

Stichting Terug naar het begin

Legal name

Stichting Terug naar het begin

Website

https://terugnaarhetbegin.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stichting Terug naar het begin is a Dutch non-profit foundation that organizes an annual three-day performing arts festival in historic Groningen churches, cycling between 12th-13th century venues across the Eemsdelta wierden landscape, serving approximately 2,000 visitors per edition through ticketed events, memberships, sponsorships, and government subsidies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Festival

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Musical Groups and Artists (71113), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Performing arts festival
• Cultural event organization
• Church heritage concerts
• Rural arts programming
• Festival ticketing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Appingedam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue through sale of festival tickets including passepartouts, weekend tickets, day tickets, and opening night tickets. Also generates revenue from supplementary services like bike rentals, boat tickets, shuttle bus, and parking.
2. De Terugkeerders Membership: Annual membership program (vriendenclub) at €50 per year, providing supporters with exclusive benefits including behind-the-scenes access, festival packages with extras and vouchers, and two extra newsletters.
3. Ambassador Contributions: Regional entrepreneurs support the festival as ambassadors with annual contributions of €400 excluding VAT, receiving invitations to ambassador meetings and opening night.
4. Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors support the festival starting from €1,000 per year, helping create broader public support and increase societal value.
5. Government Subsidies: Partial financing through government subsidies, in addition to partner, sponsor, and ticket revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Stichting Terug naar het begin organizes and produces an annual performing arts festival in the Groningen wierden landscape, staging intimate performances by national and international artists in historic 12th-13th century churches. It sells festival tickets (passepartouts, weekend, day, and opening night), ancillary services (bike rental, boat trips, shuttle bus, parking, musical breakfast), and an annual friends club membership (De Terugkeerders), and operates a standalone audio walking tour (Audiowandeling Baaierm).

Product overview

Stichting Terug naar het begin is a cultural festival organization that operates a multi-day performing arts festival (TNHB) in the Groningen wierden landscape. The product portfolio centers on festival admissions across multiple ticket tiers (passepartouts combining opening night with full weekend access, weekend-only passes, single-day tickets, and Friday opening night tickets), supplemented by experiential add-ons including bike rentals, boat tours through the wierden landscape, shuttle bus service, parking reservations, and a musical breakfast experience. A friends club membership (De Terugkeerders) offers annual supporter benefits. The festival also produces a standalone audio walking tour product (Audiowandeling Baaierm) that extends the cultural experience beyond the festival period.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• De Terugkeerders: The friends club of the festival, offering annual membership for €50 with benefits including exclusive behind-the-scenes access, festival packages with extras and vouchers, and priority newsletter updates.

Products and services

• Festival Tickets (Passepartout) Full weekend festival passes granting access to Friday opening performances (Jeangu Macrooy, NAAZ, or de KU/RK) plus all Saturday and Sunday program events. Available in three variants tied to specific opening night venues. Targeted at individual festival attendees seeking complete access.
• Weekendticket (Weekend Ticket) Two-day pass providing access to all performances on Saturday and Sunday. Targeted at individual festival attendees who cannot attend the Friday opening night.
• Dagtickets (Saturday/Sunday Day Tickets) Single-day tickets granting access to all performances on either Saturday or Sunday. Targeted at individual attendees seeking flexible entry.
• Openingstickets (Friday Opening Night Tickets) Individual tickets for Friday evening opening performances at one of three venues. Targeted at individual attendees who want to attend a single opening night performance.
• Audiowandeling Baaierm (Audio Walking Tour) Location-based audio walking experience (2.2 km) through Bierum featuring local residents' stories and music by Meindert Talma. Developed by Tom Tieman (Ruimtereis) with Festival Terug naar het begin. Available year-round for independent exploration. Targeted at visitors seeking a self-guided cultural experience beyond the festival weekend.
• De Terugkeerders (Friends Club Membership) Annual friends club membership for €50 providing exclusive behind-the-scenes access, festival package with extras and vouchers, and two extra newsletters. Valid until December 31 each year. As a cultural ANBI organization, the donation is tax-deductible. Targeted at loyal supporters and repeat visitors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 17th edition successfully delivered

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Groninger KerkencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor partner providing access to many festival venues. A significant portion of the festival's beautiful venues are owned by Groninger Kerken. The organization also offers a 20% discount for their donors on festival tickets.
• Gemeente EemsdeltacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal municipality that is a key partner in hosting the festival. Residents receive 50% discount on Saturday/Sunday tickets.
• Provincie GroningencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvincial government partner supporting the festival in the Groningen region.
• het resortcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtistic curator for TNHB 2026, responsible for developing the art program and site-specific art projects in collaboration with local communities and artists.
• Noord Nederlands OrkestmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Jong Begin program line, providing young musicians opportunity to develop under guidance of orchestra musicians alongside artists like Jeangu Macrooy.
• NoordstaatmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Jong Begin program line, supporting young makers in developing their craft through collaboration with artists like NAAZ.
• Jonge HartenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerforming arts festival for young audiences and expertise center, partner in Jong Begin program line. Facilitates connections between young makers, the festival, and local organizations.
• Gouden Rand FestivalsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint publicity campaign with Festival Hongerige Wolf, Grasnapolsky, and Paradisum to promote rural Groningen festivals through Erfgoedpartners and Centrum Groninger Taal & Cultuur.
• Visit EemsdeltaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTourism organization supporting the festival and its promotion in the Eemsdelta region.
• ARRIVAminorOthersTransportation partner providing regional transport services.
• Guikema RijwielhandelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBike rental partner providing e-bikes, luxury bikes, tandems, and bakfietsen for festival visitors.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Holland Festival: Premier Dutch performing arts festival featuring large-scale international music, theatre, and dance productions across Amsterdam venues. Comparable on performing-arts focus and ANBI-style public-benefit orientation, but at substantially larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Direct peers

• Oerol Festival: Dutch site-specific performing arts festival on Terschelling combining landscape, heritage sites, and curated music/theatre programming. Closely comparable on 'performing arts in landscape' format and intimate-venue orientation.
• Paradisum: Festival operating in the Groningen rural heritage landscape, included alongside TNHB in the Gouden Rand Festivals collective, with overlapping audiences and shared cultural positioning.
• Wonderfeel Festival: Outdoor classical and contemporary music festival held in the Frisian countryside near heritage estates. Comparable on outdoor heritage-venue programming and curated musical performance model aimed at engaged audiences.
• November Music: Biennial Dutch contemporary music festival showcasing new work across multiple venues in Den Bosch. Comparable on curated live-music programming, multi-venue model, and reliance on public cultural funding.
• Festival Classique: Annual Dutch classical-music festival featuring performances in heritage locations across multiple sites. Directly comparable on music-in-heritage-venues model, multi-venue audience movement, and curated classical programming.
• Gaudeamus Festival: Dutch contemporary music festival presenting emerging composers and ensembles. Comparable on curated contemporary/chamber music programming and Dutch public-funding-dependent operating model.
• Grasnapolsky: Annual cultural festival held in a rural Groningen landscape. Listed as an active Gouden Rand Festivals partner of Stichting Terug naar het begin with shared marketing and promotional channels.
• Festival Hongerige Wolf: Small-scale performing arts festival operating in a rural Groningen setting with heritage venues. Direct peer as an active partner in the Gouden Rand Festivals joint publicity campaign with TNHB.
• Noorderzon Performing Arts Festival: Major annual performing arts festival based in Groningen city, featuring music, theatre, dance, and site-specific work. Comparable on performing-arts focus, Groningen base, and multi-venue programming model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tnhb
• Facebookfacebook.com/festivalTerugnaarhetbegin
• Instagraminstagram.com/terugnaarhetbegin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stichting-terug-naar-het-begin

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stichting Terug naar het begin