Appelpop Tiel
Every second weekend of September, the Waalkade in Tiel fills up. Appelpop is a two-day pop festival with over thirty years of history. From 2026, the festival charges admission as it was no longer financially sustainable to stay free. Children up to 12 still get in for free.
✅ Paid admission since 2026 — tickets required via appelpop.nl. Children up to 12 enter free.
The beginning
Appelpop started in 1992 as a side programme to the Fruitcorso harvest parade. By 2000, more than 100,000 visitors attended. The festival runs on around 700 volunteers.
The programme
Mainly Dutch acts. The 2026 line-up included Suzan & Freek, BLØF, De Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig, Bente and Pommelien Thijs.
The location
The Waalkade with the River Waal as a backdrop — a city festival along the water. This year the Ferris wheel returns, along with the Proeftuin, Waalterras and enlarged Silent Disco.
Where the name comes from
The name Appelpop might suggest a nod to the painter Karel Appel, but that’s a coincidence. It actually refers to the Betuwe, the fruit-growing region around Tiel that’s been known for its orchards for centuries — a bit of local pride the festival still carries even now that it’s grown into a nationally known event.
From free festival to ticketed event
For decades Appelpop was known as the largest free festival in the Netherlands. That changed in 2026, when organisers introduced an entry fee after concluding it was no longer financially viable to keep the gates open for free. Children up to and including 12 years old still get in without paying.
Festival attractions
Alongside the music, a handful of fixtures return every year and have become just as much a part of Appelpop as the line-up itself: the Ferris wheel (Reuzenrad), the Proeftuin food and drink garden, the Waalterras overlooking the river, and an enlarged Silent Disco.
Getting there
Appelpop takes place on Friday 10 and Saturday 11 September 2027. Tickets are sold online via appelpop.nl. Visitors who want to stay overnight can book a spot at Appelpop Camping, within walking distance of the festival site. Tiel station is a 10 to 15 minute walk from the Waalkade, and NS and Arriva run extra trains during the festival weekend. Cyclists can leave their bikes at the free guarded parking near the Oude Haven.
What started in 1992 as a small addition to Tiel’s annual Fruitcorso parade has grown into one of the bigger music weekends in the Netherlands, and yet it still carries the same unpretentious, Betuwe character it began with.
The line-up mixes household Dutch names with acts festival-goers may never have heard of before, giving Appelpop a reputation for turning up surprises alongside its bigger draws.
Weather along the Waal can be unpredictable in September, so most regulars bring a light rain jacket just in case, even on years when the forecast looks clear.
Practical info
- • Date 2027: Friday 10 and Saturday 11 September
- • Entry: paid (tickets via appelpop.nl); children up to 12 free
- • Camping: Appelpop Camping, walking distance
- • Public transport: 10–15 min walk from Tiel station
- • More info: appelpop.nl