Down The Rabbit Hole 2026: Friday opens with Little Simz, Tomora and surprises

Down The Rabbit Hole 2026 has kicked off at the Groene Heuvels in Ewijk, Beuningen, and the opening day immediately showed why this festival is one of the most distinctive fixtures on the European festival calendar. Intimate listening concerts, explosive hip hop, electronic music and spontaneous parties flowed effortlessly into one another across a site where the atmosphere was already buzzing early in the day.

The day got off to a surprisingly beautiful start with the Adam String Quartet and saxophonist Kika Sprangers on the Bossa Nova stage. A mix of original compositions, traditional string quartet pieces and a moving cover of Nina Simone's 'Wild Is The Wind' earned them a standing ovation from an attentive, hushed crowd. Also on the intimate Bossa Nova stage, Italian singer songwriter Carola Moccia, who performs under the name La Niña, delivered a pleasant surprise. Her blend of Italian folk music and bossa nova drew such a crowd that people climbed onto speaker platforms just to catch a glimpse of the stage. Scottish singer songwriter Jacob Alon kept the afternoon moving with understated folk. Midway through his set he admitted he was struggling a little with his voice, though you would barely have noticed. His high, clear vocals gave the songs an almost ethereal quality, and for the closing number he stood alone on stage for a moving finale featuring blazing fast fingerwork on the guitar.

One of the most talked about names of the day was Tomora, the collaboration between Chemical Brothers member Tom Rowlands and Norwegian singer Aurora. These kinds of partnerships between established artists often disappoint in practice, but Tomora proved to be an exception. Aurora moved and sang angelically over Rowlands' expertly crafted electronic beats, with the absolute highlight being the track 'Somewhere Else'. The duo performed both original material and reworked versions of each other's songs, allowing the strengths of both artists to shine fully. Many festivalgoers are now hoping this collaboration turns out to be more than a one off.

Veteran Dutch rapper Sticks played a special set with orchestral accompaniment, giving tracks from his albums Alles Over Hoop and En Door, as well as the Opgezwolle classic Tijgers en Draken from 2010, a cinematic quality. Unfortunately the orchestral section disappeared after around twenty minutes, after which Sticks continued with producer Kubus and crowd favourites, including 'Gerrit' from the 2008 Opgezwolle album and occasional bursts of gabber and hardcore beats woven in. Brussels rapper Zwangere Guy also turned out to be a highlight. At the start of his set he admitted he had expected to play to no more than four or five hundred people, but the turnout was considerably larger. He looked back on his first appearance at Down The Rabbit Hole in 2019, when by his own account he took to the stage in his underwear and under the influence of drugs. The Zwangere Guy of today is a different artist entirely, and you could hear it: strong breath control, crisp articulation and a sharp social commentary, with tracks like 'Vecht Voor Papier I', 'Papucho' and 'LOIN D'ICI'.

Between the bigger names, Thijs Boontjes provided the most fun spontaneous party of the Friday with a surprise appearance at the Rabobank Clubhuis. The late announcement worked in his favour: the Clubhuis was packed to the rafters and the front rows sang along loudly from opener 'Nachtportier' onwards. 'Campari Soda', 'Ambiance' and 'Deze Nacht' all got an airing too. For anyone who missed it: Boontjes is back on the same stage at the same time on Sunday. Empire Of The Sun filled the role of extra headliner on Friday with an audiovisual show featuring elaborately costumed dancers taking the Hotot crowd on a musical journey through old and new material. Frontman Luke Steele made his presence felt with strong guitar solos on a custom guitar, which he proudly showed off to the crowd with the words 'Look at the curves on that thing!', before smashing it to pieces near the end of the set. The crowd dreamily sang along to 'We Are The People' and jumped with enthusiasm for 'Alive'.

The Friday closing set was a historic one: Little Simz became the first female hip hop artist ever and only the second hip hop artist overall to headline Down The Rabbit Hole, following Anderson.Paak & The Free Nationals in 2018. Back in 2022 she played the Teddy Widder stage at a much earlier slot in the evening; now she had the Hotot in the palm of her hand. Backed by a four piece band she opened with 'Thief', from her latest album Lotus, a track that reportedly references a lawsuit she filed against former producer Inflo after lending him 1.7 million pounds for a live show by his band SAULT. The set was divided into blocks by album: alongside Lotus, both Sometimes I Might Be Introvert and GREY Area got their moment. Midway through, a DJ booth was wheeled onto the stage for an electronic section featuring tracks from the EPs Drop 8 and Sugar Girl, before the band returned dancing. Afrobeat tracks 'Lion' and 'Point And Kill', made with Obongjayar and Moonchild Sanelly, kept the dancing going without missing a beat. During 'Selfish', Little Simz gave each member of her band a full introduction, with drummer Morgan Simpson, known from black midi, and guitarist Mark Mollison each getting their own moment in the spotlight. The set closed with 'Free', delivered a cappella to start, and 'Woman', a tribute to all women, as Little Simz walked along the barrier to shake hands and share hugs with the crowd. An absolutely stunning and historic show, a worthy close to the first festival day of Down The Rabbit Hole 2026.