| Italic Title: | no |
| Genre: | Music competition |
| Country: | Netherlands |
| Language: | Dutch |
| Num Episodes: | 2 contests |
| Runtime: | ~2 hours |
| First Aired: | , 2023–present |
The (pronounced as /nl/;) is a Dutch song competition between regional public broadcasters.[1] Held in its current form since 2023, the format of the competition is loosely based on the Eurovision Song Contest and was first used in 1995 under its original title .[2] [3] [4] Every edition features thirteen original songs that are performed in a live broadcast, each representing a region of the Netherlands. From the competing entries, a winner is determined through a combination of televoting and votes cast by regional juries.
The format of the competition was first used for the Dutch Song Contest 1995. It was developed by the (ROOS) – the umbrella organisation of Dutch regional public broadcasters – and the Conamus Foundation to celebrate fifty years of regional public broadcasting in the Netherlands.[5] [6] In addition, it served as a substitute for the, which was not held in 1995.
Despite ambitions for it to become an annual event, the competition was not renewed for a second edition in 1996. In May 2023, twenty-eight years after the 1995 edition, the thirteen regional public broadcasters announced the launch of a reworked version of the format under the name Regio Songfestival.[7] The inaugural edition was held on 4 November 2023, with a second edition scheduled to be held in 2024.[8]
| Year | Date | Host city | Presenter(s) | Winner | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region | Artist | Song | Language | ||||
| 1995: Het Nederlandse Songfestival | |||||||
| 1995 | Utrecht | Karin Bloemen | "" | Dutch | |||
| 2023–present: Regio Songfestival | |||||||
| 2023 | Utrecht | Stefania Liberakakis, and Bernadette Keizer | Emmy Ackermans | " | Dutch, Limburgish | ||
| 2024 | , Yaël Weijenberg and Bas van Mulken | Emma Luca | "" | Dutch | |||
Thirteen original songs representing different regions of the Netherlands are performed in a live television show, broadcast simultaneously by all participating broadcasters.[9] [10] A "region" as a participant is represented by its regional public broadcaster – one from each of the twelve provinces, with the exception of South Holland, which is represented by two broadcasters: one serving the province's northern subregions (The Hague and surroundings; presented as "West"),[11] and one serving the southern subregions (Rotterdam and surroundings; presented as "Rijnmond").[12] [13]
Each participating broadcaster has sole discretion over the process it may employ to select its entry for the contest.[1] [10] Entrants are not allowed to have had a Top 40 hit prior to participation, and have to sing in a regional language or dialect or in Dutch.[1] [9] [14] Regional contests that serve as a broadcaster's selection process include (Omrop Fryslân) and the (RTV Drenthe).[15] [16]
The programme is staged by one of the regions and is broadcast from an auditorium in the selected host city. The winner is determined by a combination of votes cast by regional juries (67%) and a public televote (33%).[9] [17] [14] Entries cannot receive points from their own regional jury.[9] The participating broadcaster of the winning entry is given the honour of organising the following year's event.[10] [18]
The first edition of the Regio Songfestival was held on 4 November 2023, beginning at 20:30 CET, and lasted approximately two hours.[19] It was organised by the Netherlands' thirteen regional public broadcasters, with the (financial) support of Buma Cultuur, AVROTROS and the .[20] [21] The show was broadcast on television by all participating broadcasters, as well as AVROTROS on the national television channel NPO 1 Extra.[19] [22]
| Region | Broadcaster | Artist | Song | Language | Songwriter(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTV Drenthe | Lisa Harms | "" | Low Saxon | |||
| Omroep Flevoland | Abtin Salem | "" | Dutch | |||
| Omrop Fryslân | "" | West Frisian | Melissa Pander | |||
| Omroep Gelderland | AleXingt! | "" | Dutch | Alex van der Horst | ||
| RTV Noord | Wat Aans! | "" | Low Saxon | |||
| L1 | Emmy Ackermans | " | Dutch, Limburgish | |||
| Omroep Brabant | Sam & Merijn Knoop | "" | Dutch | Roy Koopmans | ||
| NH | Emma Koning | "" | Dutch | Emma Koning | ||
| RTV Oost | "" | Low Saxon | ||||
| Rijnmond | RTV Rijnmond | Remedy | "" | Dutch | ||
| RTV Utrecht | Melanie Ryan | "" | Dutch | Melanie Reindertsen | ||
| West | Omroep West | Lien | "" | Dutch | ||
| Omroep Zeeland | Smaakstof | "" | Dutch |
RTV Utrecht, the regional public broadcaster of Utrecht, was asked to host the first edition of the Regio Songfestival due to the province's central location within the Netherlands.[24] [25] It was subsequently announced that the event would be staged at the, a theatre in the city of Utrecht.[24] The venue has a capacity of 1,000 spectators.
On 2 October 2023, it was revealed that the show would be hosted by Greek-Dutch singer Stefania Liberakakis, alongside RTV Utrecht reporters and Bernadette Keizer.[26] RTV Utrecht announced that Liberakakis and Ozinga would be the show's main presenters, while Keizer would serve as the green room host.[26]
The running order for the live show was published on 27 October 2023.[27] The ABBA tribute band We Want ABBA!, featuring singers Mandy Huydts and, performed as an interval act.[28]
| Region | Artist | Song | Points | Place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melissa Pander | "" | 159 | 5 | ||
| 2 | Leon Moorman | "" | 172 | 3 | ||
| 3 | AleXingt! | "" | 41 | 13 | ||
| 4 | Smaakstof | "" | 78 | 11 | ||
| 5 | Lisa Harms | "" | 96 | 8 | ||
| 6 | Emmy Ackermans | " | 177 | 1 | ||
| 7 | Rijnmond | Remedy | "" | 148 | 6 | |
| 8 | Melanie Ryan | "" | 102 | 7 | ||
| 9 | Sam & Merijn Knoop | "" | 172 | 2 | ||
| 10 | Wat Aans! | "" | 172 | 4 | ||
| 11 | Abtin Salem | "" | 84 | 9 | ||
| 12 | Emma Koning | "" | 80 | 10 | ||
| 13 | West | Lien | "" | 49 | 12 |
The 10, 11 and 12-point scores from the juries were announced by a spokesperson from each region in the following order:
| Place | Combined | Jury | Public | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region | Points | Region | Points | Region | Points | ||
| 1 | 177 | 120 | 78 | ||||
| 2 | 172 | 113 | 72 | ||||
| 3 | 172 | 112 | 65 | ||||
| 4 | 172 | Rijnmond | 102 | 59 | |||
| 5 | 159 | 94 | 52 | ||||
| 6 | Rijnmond | 148 | 87 | Rijnmond | 46 | ||
| 7 | 102 | 76 | 39 | ||||
| 8 | 96 | 73 | 33 | ||||
| 9 | 84 | 65 | 26 | ||||
| 10 | 80 | 63 | 20 | ||||
| 11 | 78 | 45 | 13 | ||||
| 12 | West | 49 | West | 43 | 7 | ||
| 13 | 41 | 21 | West | 6 | |||
| Voting procedure used: | Jury vote | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope="col" | |||||||||||||||||
| Friesland | 159 | 87 | 72 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 9 | ||
| Overijssel | 172 | 113 | 59 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 6 | ||
| Gelderland | 41 | 21 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | ||
| Zeeland | 78 | 65 | 13 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 5 | ||
| Drenthe | 96 | 63 | 33 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Limburg | 177 | 112 | 65 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 12 | ||
| Rijnmond | 148 | 102 | 46 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 11 | ||
| Utrecht | 102 | 76 | 26 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 8 | ||
| North Brabant | 172 | 120 | 52 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 10 | ||
| Groningen | 172 | 94 | 78 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | ||
| Flevoland | 84 | 45 | 39 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| North Holland | 80 | 73 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 3 | ||
| West | 49 | 43 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | ||
| Recipient | Regions giving 12 points | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | ,,, | ||
| 3 | ,, West | ||
| ,, | |||
| 2 | , Rijnmond | ||
| 1 |
The second edition of Regio Songfestival was held on 9 November 2024, beginning at 20:30 CET, and lasted approximately two hours. It was organised by L1, the regional public broadcaster of Limburg, following its victory in the 2023 edition.[8] [36] [37] The show was broadcast on television by all participating broadcasters, as well as AVROTROS on the national television channel NPO 1 Extra.[38]
| Region | Broadcaster | Artist | Song | Language | Songwriter(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTV Drenthe | Marianne Veenstra | " | Low Saxon | |||
| Omroep Flevoland | Sanne-Maaike Oudshoorn | "" | Dutch | |||
| Omrop Fryslân | Fegebart | "" | West Frisian | |||
| Omroep Gelderland | Emma Luca | "" | Dutch | |||
| RTV Noord | Trap Aan! | "" | Low Saxon | |||
| L1 | Maxime x Glyn | "" | Dutch | |||
| Omroep Brabant | Dominique de Bont | "" | Dutch | |||
| NH | Renee Rose | "" | Dutch | |||
| RTV Oost | Merlijn Dewasme | "" | Dutch | |||
| Rijnmond | RTV Rijnmond | Braidy | "" | Dutch | ||
| RTV Utrecht | Thijs Swinkels | "" | Dutch | |||
| West | Omroep West | Kopsmart | " | Schevenings | ||
| Omroep Zeeland | Cycz | "" | Dutch |
The event was staged at the in Maastricht.[8] The venue has a capacity of 915 spectators. On 4 July 2024, it was revealed that the show would be hosted by presenter and singer, alongside L1 reporters Yaël Camille Weijenberg and Riël Linssen.[40] Linssen was later replaced by Bas van Mulken, who served as the green room host.
The running order for the live show was published on 11 October 2024.[41] Singer performed the song "" as an interval act.
| Region | Artist | Song | Points | Place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thijs Swinkels | "" | 78 | 11 | ||
| 2 | Marianne Veenstra | " | 101 | 8 | ||
| 3 | Merlijn Dewasme | "" | 171 | 2 | ||
| 4 | Cycz | "" | 92 | 9 | ||
| 5 | West | Kopsmart | " | 110 | 7 | |
| 6 | Dominique de Bont | "" | 169 | 3 | ||
| 7 | Maxime x Glyn | "" | 81 | 10 | ||
| 8 | Renee Rose | "" | 151 | 4 | ||
| 9 | Fegebart | "" | 134 | 6 | ||
| 10 | Sanne-Maaike Oudshoorn | "" | 60 | 12 | ||
| 11 | Emma Luca | "" | 193 | 1 | ||
| 12 | Rijnmond | Braidy | "" | 49 | 13 | |
| 13 | Trap Aan! | "" | 141 | 5 |
The 10, 11 and 12-point scores from the juries were announced by a spokesperson from each region in the following order:
| Place | Combined | Jury | Public | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region | Points | Region | Points | Region | Points | ||
| 1 | 193 | 121 | 78 | ||||
| 2 | 171 | 110 | 72 | ||||
| 3 | 169 | 106 | 65 | ||||
| 4 | 151 | 105 | 59 | ||||
| 5 | 141 | 95 | 52 | ||||
| 6 | 134 | West | 84 | 46 | |||
| 7 | West | 110 | 81 | 39 | |||
| 8 | 101 | 72 | 33 | ||||
| 9 | 92 | 63 | West | 26 | |||
| 10 | 81 | 48 | 20 | ||||
| 11 | 78 | 47 | 13 | ||||
| 12 | 60 | Rijnmond | 42 | Rijnmond | 7 | ||
| 13 | Rijnmond | 49 | 40 | 6 | |||
| Voting procedure used: | Jury vote | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope="col" | |||||||||||||||||
| Utrecht | 78 | 72 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 3 | ||
| Drenthe | 101 | 81 | 20 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 4 | ||
| Overijssel | 171 | 106 | 65 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | ||
| Zeeland | 92 | 40 | 52 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 5 | ||
| West | 110 | 84 | 26 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 11 | ||
| North Brabant | 169 | 110 | 59 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 9 | ||
| Limburg | 81 | 48 | 33 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 2 | ||
| North Holland | 151 | 105 | 46 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 6 | 6 | ||
| Friesland | 134 | 95 | 39 | 3 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 12 | ||
| Flevoland | 60 | 47 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 1 | ||
| Gelderland | 193 | 121 | 72 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 3 | 12 | 8 | 8 | ||
| Rijnmond | 49 | 42 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 7 | ||
| Groningen | 141 | 63 | 78 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 2 | ||
| Recipient | Regions giving 12 points | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | ,, Rijnmond, West | |
| 3 | ,,, | |
| ,, | ||
| 1 | ||
| West |
The third edition of Regio Songfestival will be hosted in Gelderland in 2025, and organised by Omroep Gelderland, the regional public broadcaster of the province, following its win in the 2024 edition. The RPO, the organisation that groups together all of the Netherlands' regional public broadcasters, confirmed after Gelderland's win in 2024 that the contest would continue with a third edition.[42]