If you do not know Roadburn music festival, and if you ask the attendees, what does Roadburn mean to you, I have a feeling that the answers will likely perplex you further. That’s because it is a difficult question. It is difficult to define Roadburn in a few words, or a few lines. It is difficult to put Roadburn in a box and point to it and say, “This is Roadburn”.

Despite this difficulty, the organizers did try to say a few words about it on their website “Roadburn is a leading light in the world of heavy music. Unrestricted by genre, Roadburn has an underground ethos that is coupled with big-league production values that allow us to champion scene-defining bands and pioneers alongside up and coming artists. We pride ourselves on creating a truly immersive experience every April.“. These aren’t empty words, and they do explain – to a large extent – what Roadburn is. But in a hand-drawn circle attempting to encompass Roadburn’s definition, there are tiny spaces, corners, jagged edges, where such a definition fades, and where differences in opinion on the meaning of Roadburn are amplified.

The history of Roadburn is old, it was started in 1999, and my I am a Roadburn noob. My first time at Roadburn was in 2023, and then in 2024 and in 2025. But even through these 3 editions, Roadburn has evolved for me. The festival may or may not feature the genre of progressive music, but the festival itself is progressive in every way – ever changing, ever evolving.

If the Greek philosopher Heraclitus had a chance to attend this festival, his famous words would probably have been a slightly different, “No man human ever steps in the same river Roadburn twice, for it’s not the same river Roadburn and he’s they’re not the same man human.“.

Therefore, my objectives with this blog entry are twofold, (1) to not explain what is Roadburn – as it will surely be a futile attempt – but what is Roadburn to me?, and (2) in what way has Roadburn impacted me.

I will talk through these two objectives while describing a couple of aspects that make Roadburn interesting for me:
1. The music
2. The visual art exhibition
3. The interviews, the initiatives and the midnight pizza

The music

I was informed by fellow festival goers, that until mid-2010s, Roadburn was primarily focused on specific genres of rock/metal music such as sludge metal, doom metal, psychedelic rock and stoner rock. However, later it started featuring a varied variety of heavy music, as also mentioned in their explanation “Unrestricted by genre…”. During the three editions of Roadburn that I attended, I loved exploring new music through Roadburn, which otherwise would have been impossible.

In the past, I have always been going to traditional rock and metal festivals (such as Graspop and Hellfest) where I would go to listen to bands that I have known and loved for at least 10+ years. However, in all the three Roadburn editions, initially, when the bands’ names were announced on the website, 9 months prior to the festival, I did not know a single band. Over the next 6 to 9 months, I would listen and learn about these new bands, new music, before finally seeing them live at the festival. This way of attending a festival i.e., going into a 4-day musical marathon of bands previously unknown to me and immersing myself in the freshly discovered music, was new to me.

Already after my first Roadburn experience in 2023, I concluded, that I could blindly trust the organizers and curators of this festival and on their (potential) selection of bands, such that, I can buy the tickets one year in advance, without knowing which bands I will be watching. Roadburn helped me discover not only new bands, but also new genres of music. It broadened my understanding of (heavy) music, added more flavours to my musical taste and made me appreciate genres of music that I never thought I would enjoy. Additionally, having artists in residence, commissioned musical sets/albums especially for the festivals, and secret shows that pop up ad hoc during the festival has always been an inspiring experience. To me, this is the essence of my Roadburn experience, and why I enjoy coming to Tilburg every April.

Below are some images of a few (of so many more) fantastic bands that I discovered and enjoyed live, thanks for Roadburn.

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The visual art exhibition

There’s not only music at Roadburn, but the festival also celebrates visual art in the form of graphics, films, paintings, jewellery, cards, posters, storytelling sessions and many more formats. These are on display with their creators at various locations throughout the festival, available to enjoy as a visual treat or also for purchase to bring back home.

When jumping from one stage to another, or from one band to another, or just to relax for a while, browsing through the exhibition and installations is a wonderful experience. This is unique to Roadburn and a great way of exposing, recognizing supporting visual art creators to this audience. These efforts made me more aware of the contemporary art and its association with the underground culture, not found in the mainstream.

Below are some art exhibitions and installations at Roadburn 2025 by Bob Mollema, Costin Chioreanu and Nona Limmen.

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The interviews, the initiatives and the midnight pizza

In addition to the essentials, music and art, Roadburn also hosts talks and interviews with audience participation. In my limited experience as a festival goer, I only know of Roadburn organizing such activities during a festival. It is great to listen to the musicians talk about their perspective, their life, albums, struggles, success etc. These interviews (pictures below) are very well organized, and the discussions are really inspiring.

In 2025, Roadburn was 26 years old, and in order to reflect how far they have come and to celebrate their history, the Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten and the Cultural Heritage lectorate of the Reinwardt Academy worked together to record the heritage of this festival in a project called Archiving Heaviness. Such initiatives, experiments and collaborations are reflective of a thoughtful as well as intellectual mindset of the festival organizers and goers.

Finally, one cannot talk about a music festival without talking about camping. The festival offers well organized facilities at the campsite, and a wide range of camping options. You can bring your own tent or rent a festival tent or a wooden cabin for added luxury. The campsite is managed well, clean, and offers a nice breakfast in the morning. They also host a late-night pizza truck, which is something I always look forward to when returning to the campsite after a tiring day at the festival.

A day full of awesome musical performances ending in a late-night pizza near a bonfire on a still chilly and rainy Tilburg spring weekend. Can it get any better? I bet not!

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A collection of experiences

While music is always central to my Roadburn trip, the art exhibition, the exciting projects and initiatives, and the fun camping is what summarises the collection of my Roadburn experiences. Thanks to Roadburn, I became more open to listening to new bands, new music, new genres, new art – to learn, understand and appreciate things previously unknown to me. The words of the organizers describing the festival indeed ring true, “Roadburn is a leading light in the world of heavy music. Unrestricted by genre, Roadburn has an underground ethos that is coupled with big-league production values that allow us to champion scene-defining bands and pioneers alongside up and coming artists. We pride ourselves on creating a truly immersive experience every April.“