In The Woods: Hans Theessink

Fort33 is a cultural centre and concert venue on the Bavoortseweg in Leusden, a small town in the Utrecht province. The building contains several concert halls, a recording studio, and spaces used for workshops and other arts activities, making it a genuinely multi purpose venue rather than a straightforward music club. It operates as a community run podium, which gives it a character distinct from professionally managed commercial venues: the programming reflects local needs alongside a steady appetite for touring acts. The musical range at Fort33 is notably broad. The recurring "In The Woods" series brings in Americana and folk artists, with past and upcoming editions featuring acts such as Kevin Welch, Tim Grimm and Sergio Webb, Dayna Kurtz, and Rosanne Reid. Chicago rooted singer songwriter Michael McDermott has played the venue twice, in November 2018 and April 2023. At the harder end of the spectrum, Fort33 has hosted metal and hardcore events including Bloodfest 2024 and the BLURR hardcore series, with bands such as BodyFarm, Temple of Dread, and Bloodphemy on the bill. Tribute nights covering artists from R.E.M. to Taylor Swift fill out the calendar alongside a FORTretro night, an Oktoberfest celebration, and social dance parties. This mix of an intimate folk series, underground metal festivals, retro discos, and community events sitting under one roof is what most defines Fort33. For a venue in a town the size of Leusden, the sheer stylistic range it manages to accommodate week to week is unusual, and it draws both local audiences and visitors from across the Utrecht region.