Andrei Irimia (ro), Ash Olsen (no), averagekidluke (fi/YleX), Benwal (nl / Hit the North), Blanks (nl), Brimheim (fo/dk/DR/P6), Caleb Kunle (ie), Chagall (nl), Clara! (be), Cloudsurfers (nl), Daria Kolomiec (ua), Dylamic (nl / Hit the North), Eloi (fr), Fred Goverde (nl / Hit the North), Hannes (se), Heartworms (uk-eng), Historian (nl / Hit the North), Holly (pt), Johnny loves me (nl / Hit the North), Katie Gregson-Macleod (uk-sco), Merol (nl), Metteson (no), Moonloops (nl / Hit the North), renceau (nl / Hit the North), Seb Zukini (nl / Hit the North), Skaar (no), Steeby & the Better Days (nl / Hit the North), Stockdale (de), Toupaz (at), Traversus (nl / Hit the North), Verity (nl / Hit the North), Weval (nl), and Zohar (nl).

Hit the North is a unique collaboration between festivals and cultural institutions from the north of the Netherlands. Hit the North is established to stimulate professional talent development in the provinces Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe. Northern pop culture is unique, but artists often experience many difficulties that hold them back from breaking through. Eleven acts were part of this year’s Hit the North programme and will play at ESNS23 in January. These eleven acts are; Benwal, Dylamic, Fred Goverde, Historian, Johnny loves me, Moonloops, renceau, Seb Zukini, Steeby & the Better Days, Traversus, and Verity.

Amina, Brintex Collective, Bumble B. Boy, Cavolo Nero, Claude, De Toegift, Dopebwoy, Elijah Waters, Ginge, Ir Sais, Joost Van Bellen & St. Paul Present: Love Is All, Kleine John & Chavanté, Mariposa, Nobu, ParHasard, Peter Somuah Group, SIM—OJ, Wodan Boys, and Zoe Tauran

At Noorderslag, NPO Radio 2 Soul & Jazz will highlight their favourite upcoming artists of the Netherlands. This year the radio station will shine its spotlight on Brintex Collective, ParHasard, Peter Somuah Group, Ginge, and Cavolo Nero.

ESNS previously confirmed 239 artists for the showcase festival.

For the ESNS Conference, a number of new panels and speakers have been added. The sub-programme ESNS Tech will zoom in on the most notable developments in innovation and technology. Andrew Melchior (CTO of Massive Attack) will give a keynote on engaging audiences in the new era of deglobalisation and reduced emission lifestyles. Other panels in this sub-programme, moderated by Turo Pekari (Music Finland), explore Web 3.0 and its (business) applications such as the Metaverse. Other newly announced panels will dive deeper into touring in challenging economic times and the streaming economy.

Check out all announced panels and speakers here: esns.nl/nl/conference/panels/

Find more information about the conference programme at esns.nl/conference

Conference Registrations are available via esns.nl/tickets

Tickets for the festival are available here: esns.nl/en/tickets

Get your registrations for the ESNS conference here: http://esns.nl/en/conference/conference-registrations/

To get familiar with the artists you will be able to discover in Groningen, a playlist has been created with all the confirmed acts for ESNS23. Listen here:

https://sdz.sh/9Ja849