538 Koningsdag 2026

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About the project

538 Koningsdag is one of the largest single-day events in the Netherlands. For its 13th edition, on 27 April 2026, the main stage on the Chasséveld in Breda measured 85.7 metres wide and almost 25 metres high. The design came from BigVis and Bart van Rooy, with a wooden crown on top as a nod to King’s Day, combined with Radio 538’s house colours of purple and green and accented with orange. The day drew 40,000 visitors and 43 artists.

Create’s role

Create handled the full prefabrication and decoration of the main stage. Working from the BigVis design, the team first produced all technical engineering: construction drawings and assembly drawings that turned each element into something buildable. Every part was then made, decorated and tested in Create’s own workshop, from the large wooden crown to the individual set pieces. As a result, the external build crew on site could assemble everything without surprises. Furthermore, Create coordinated closely with technical production partner Backbone International, which delivered the motion systems within the stage, including turntables and hoists. That alignment between set and technology was essential for a precise execution on show day.

Approach & challenge

The biggest challenge sat in the spiro tubes with a diameter of 1,250 millimetres. Because of their size they are awkward to handle and to fix into a structure of this scale. Therefore Create opted for a tight prefabrication schedule: every element was built and decorated in the workshop before it left for Breda. Consequently the build at the Chasséveld could be fast and predictable, which makes the difference at an event of this scale.