An interview with Superflirt initiator Martijn van Veen
Martijn van Veen (he/him) is one of the initiators of Superflirt, Amsterdam’s newest and arguably queerest summer festival. After a successful first edition in 2023, Superflirt will be back on Sunday the 25th of August at Kaap Amsterdam.
Superflirt is organized by Multifest, the events company behind Wasteland, and MEIJT., the queer platform famous for its eponymous parties and events, and its hilarious in-your-face memes on Instagram. WINGS sat down with Martijn to take a look back at Superflirt 2023, and to find out what’s in store for this year’s edition!
How did you come up with the idea for Superflirt?
“We thought it would be fun to establish a new, queer festival that’s community-based, unsponsored, happy, and affordable. MEIJT. has worked with party organizers and talent from all over the community for our own parties, and we decided to invite some of them to host their own stage at Superflirt. Last year, we had seven stages hosted by Can You Feel It?, Lesbique, Sweetie Darling, Bops, Superball, Rubber, and Damage by Mister B.”
And there is no sponsoring involved? That sounds refreshing!
“It’s a conscious decision. We love to work with queer organizations and brands like COC (the oldest Dutch queer rights movement, ed.), PrEPnu (a foundation that ensures PrEP availability in The Netherlands, ed.) and Mister B. They are of added value to the community, so we offer them a market stand, but we’re not connected to any big beer brands, and we don’t put other companies on our posters, flyers, or banners. We want to keep it real and raw. We believe that visible sponsoring only takes away from the event.”
Tell us about this year’s line up!
We’ll have multiple stages again. Each will be an experience with a different music style, from pop to techno to house and more!”
Flirt, Rave and Dance until the sun sets. We’ll do this in collaboration with the best and the most fabulous stage hosts from the queer scene!
Stage hosts 2024:
LESS DRAMA MORE TECHNO LIBERATED CAN YOU FEEL iT? DAMAGE BY MISTER B SUPERBALL CLUB CHURCH LESBIQUE AFTERPARTY BY RUBBER
What was your highlight of Superflirt 2023?
“Walking around the festival grounds was THE moment for me. We had been working on it for a year and we had this clear vision of how we wanted Superflirt to be. There was a lot of hard work and planning that went into it, then suddenly it was a reality. Seeing all these visitors mix, interact, and having fun, was a dream come true. We invited friends and family, and having them there with us made it even more special. I remember dancing on stage during the performance of Tara McDonald. The crowd went absolutely wild and that made me really emotional. It felt amazing!”
The festival is called Superflirt. Did you do some flirting yourself?
“Of course! The flirting went on ALL DAY (laughs). We handed out stickers at the entrance that said ‘Psssst….you’re my Superflirt’. The idea was to stick them on a person that you potentially wanted to flirt with. It was received quite well.”
Did everyone get just one sticker?
“Yeah, I think we handed out one per person.”
I came in through the back entrance that day, no pun intended, but I would have definitely asked for more than just one, hahaha.
“I will make sure to get you some extra stickers this year!”
Do you have any styling advise for the festivalgoers in 2024?
“Let me start by saying that everyone is welcome at Superflirt, whether they are fully dressed or completely naked! Last year, we received multiple messages asking us if we were open to nudity, and our answer was a definite YES! I love when visitors show up in fetish gear, I think it’s a beautiful statement to make. It’s fun when people dress up over the top and show off their looks. They only styling tips I can give you are: express yourself how you want to, don’t contain or limit yourself, and wear whatever you want!”
Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
“Yes! This year we have an afterparty close to the festival grounds that will go on until 4 am. Tickets for that will be available soon!”
Wanna get flirty at Superflirt? Then get your tickets via www.superflirtfestival.nl, and stay updated through @superflirtfestival on Instagram
