Extra Performance BOKKENRIJDERS on the Vrijthof in André setting on Monday July 13th. Spectacular Musical Bokkenrijders comes to the Vrijthof! Wednesday, July 1, 2026 Source L1 News, Silvinio Osanto, © Jolien Linssen After last week on Friday, June 26 and Saturday June 27, the performances of Bokkenrijders in Stadion de Geusselt had to be cancelled due to the extreme heat and the subsequent code red from the government, it has succeeded in offering the affected public a dignified alternative. These visitors are given priority when rebooking their tickets. This extra performance is the result of a special offer from André Rieu Productions who have made their stage available for this. Pierre Rieu: “When we heard that Bokkenrijders had been cancelled, we immediately started thinking about a solution and we called Servé Hermans. We know better than anyone how annoying it is to have to disappoint audiences. That is why we are very happy that we succeeded.” Servé Hermans and Frans Hendrickx, producers of Bokkenrijders: “We are very grateful. Given this exceptional situation, the municipality of Maastricht was willing to think and work with. Thanks to the offer of André Rieu and a special gesture of Magisch Maastricht, which makes one day out of the 60-day regulation available to us, the impossible has succeeded. Thanks to all of them, we can still offer our audience the performance we have made with so much love and dedication. A performance that has now been visited by almost 90,000 people. The public that was due to come on Friday and Saturday will now get a worthy alternative. They are therefore very welcome at this extra performance of Bokkenrijders at the Vrijthof.” Yvo Gustings & Michel Brull, Magic Maastricht Vrijthof: “This is Maastricht at its best: event organizations that join forces for each other. We are pleased that we were able to contribute to this unique alternative.” The visitors of Bokkenrijders who had tickets for the cancelled performances on Friday, June 26 and Saturday June 27, will be given priority when re-booking. They will receive a mailing on Wednesday, July 1, with all the information. The free sale for this evening starts on Monday, July 6, at 10:00 a.m. via www.bokkenrijders.nl. The previously cancelled performances (June 26 and 27, 2026) of the musical Bokkenrijders will take place during the Vrijthof concerts of André Rieu in Maastricht. The organization announced this on Wednesday during a press conference. This is one catch-up performance on Monday, July 13, 2026 at the Vrijthof. Rieu doesn't perform on that night. This will provide a solution for the more than 11,000 visitors who had to miss a performance last Friday and Saturday because of the extreme heat. Exceptional The parties involved speak of exceptional cooperation between the municipality, producers, and event organizations. Producer Servé Hermans is pleased with this outcome: "I think I owe limbs to these people for the rest of my life," he says of the collaboration with, among others, the organization around André Rieu and the municipality of Maastricht. André Rieu It is striking that the catch-up performance takes place at the Vrijthof, in the period when the concert series of André Rieu also takes place. The iconic square is therefore temporarily used for two large productions. Rieu also has a link with Bokkenrijders. His granddaughter Linde plays a role in the musical. "I'm actually doing it for my granddaughter," Rieu joked during the press conference. Magic Maastricht crucial link The municipality of Maastricht has a tightly planned event schedule for the Vrijthof, where the number of event days is limited to 60 per year. As a result, it was rather uncertain whether a catch-up performance would be possible at all. Due to a shift in the planning of Magic Maastricht, which lasts a day shorter this year, the performance could still be fitted. No drone show The drone show, which played a major role during the regular performances in the Geusselt, cannot continue at the Vrijthof. At this location it is not possible to create a safety zone. Canceled by extreme heat The original performances of Bokkenrijders were cancelled last week after temperatures exceeded 35°C (95°F). At the height of the heat, a protagonist (actor Milan van Waardenburg) fell unwell on stage, after which several shows were shut down. Alternatives Spectators who are unable to come to the Vrijthof on Monday, July 13, 2026 can get their money back or rebook their ticket to a free ticket for theatre spectacle Partizanen, on display next year at the Rodahal in Kerkrade.

“Bokkenrijders” (Goatriders) musical on the Vrijthof!! Monday, July 13th, 2026 by Ruud and Ineke © Ruud and Ineke. Since the last two performances of the spectacular musical "de Bokkenrijders" at the Geusselt stadium were cancelled due to the extreme heat, André and Pierre Rieu offered the opportunity to use their Vrijthof concert setting for a one-off closing event. Work was done for two weeks to adjust the show to the new location, and on Monday, July 13, the moment arrived. In our hotel room with a view, it felt as if we were sitting in the royal box. Light, sound, projections on the screens, special effects—it was fascinating, breathtaking. With 4 horses and a goat on the Vrijthof and the Main Guardhouse "on fire". The temperature outside was at least as hot as the reason the actual performances had been cancelled (one of the main actors had become unwell on stage), but André revealed a secret we did not know yet! Given the weather forecasts for this summer, he had air conditioning installed on stage!! Brilliant!! Our hotel had a problem with the air conditioning, which broke down on the fifth floor of our attic room, so we had been melting away there for two weeks with a room temperature of 30 degrees C. We regarded this unexpected performance (which we had previously seen at the Geusselt stadium) as a reward for the heat stress we have endured in our penthouse apartment over the past two weeks. We enjoyed the performance very much. It was phenomenal! Chapeau!!

Rehearsal at day time. On the picture: André and Roos Aerts (white shirt)

Main Guardhouse on fire. © Ermindo Armino.

The Limburger, July 14, 2026, by Ronald Colée translation: Ineke After lashing rain and scorching temperatures, the Bokkenrijders get a dream farewell at the Vrijthof: ‘We didn’t even miss the drones’ Close-ups of a blood-spitting Milan van Waardenburg, a dying Suzan Seegers on the stake, fireworks timed to the music, and the Main Guardhouse being set ablaze. There was no sign that Monday evening's rescheduled performance of the Bokkenrijders on the Vrijthof had been put together in just two weeks. "We didn't even miss the drones." You can literally call what Servé Hermans, Toneelgroep Maastricht, and André and Pierre Rieu have accomplished a masterpiece: transforming a spectacular musical tailored to De Geusselt into a more than full-fledged Vrijthof production in just two weeks. You could literally call what Servé Hermans, Toneelgroep Maastricht, and André and Pierre Rieu have accomplished a masterpiece: transforming a spectacular musical tailored to De Geusselt into a more than fully-fledged Vrijthof production in just two weeks. The relief among the cast, extras, and crew is therefore immense when, shortly after eleven o'clock at night, the confetti scraps and streamers have fallen on the Vrijthof. It is not without reason that a thank-you message appears on the LED screen of the Vrijthof stage with the text: Bokkenrijders thanks André and Pierre.

It was the orchestra conductor and his son who spontaneously lent a helping hand when two performances of the Bokkenrijders had to be cancelled due to the heat in late June and rescheduling at De Geusselt was not an option. "Then just hold it with us at the Vrijthof, because the set is already there for my father's Vrijthof concerts," was roughly the message from Pierre Rieu to Servé Hermans and Frans Hendrickx of Toneelgroep Maastricht. "But then you really have to want to make something special out of it," Rieu senior added. And they succeeded. For the audience – apart from the drones – wanted for nothing. And that was not so straightforward, because, just imagine: creating all new visuals for the LED screens, installing a new lighting plan, shortening the diameter of the turntable on the stage, and devising different entrances and mass scenes for the actors and extras in just two weeks—who have to bring all of this to the stage as flawlessly as possible after only one real rehearsal. “At one point, after a scene with Danique Dusée, I had to run off the stage,” lead actress Suzan Seegers recounts afterwards. “To the back, we knew that. But how to get there? We hadn't had time to rehearse for that, so we ended up in the audience restrooms first, and then backstage after all.” Laughing Seegers can laugh about it and is especially proud of what the entire group accomplished this evening, as well as all the production staff and technicians, over the past two weeks. “We even had air conditioning on stage. Thank God.” According to the actress from Roermond, there had been no nerves beforehand. “After performing eighteen times, you’ve got the text down pat. But this is *the* Vrijthof, and that certainly gives an extra adrenaline rush. What a beautiful finale after a month and a half in which we’ve had the impossible thrown at us. From a premiere in the driving rain and performances in the cold to one broken and two cancelled performances due to scorching temperatures.” By using Rieu's LED screens, dramatic scenes—such as the hanging of Milan van Waardenburg as Bokkenrijders captain Joseph Kirchhoffs shown here—gained in intensity. This resulted in approximately 17,000 spectators being left out. Six hundred visitors were rebooked for the final performance at De Geusselt, and the others could choose to exchange their tickets for the Vrijthof performance, trade them for next year's De Partizanen production at the Rodahal, or receive a refund. 7,800 spectators "Ultimately, we had 7,800 spectators at the Vrijthof today," says director and producer Servé Hermans. The 45-year-old from Maastricht is particularly pleased with the live footage captured this evening by twelve cameras thanks to the Rieu family team, which was subsequently projected onto the side screens of the Vrijthof stage. “That gives you much more focus on the performance.” And those images are no unnecessary luxury because, unlike at De Geusselt, the audience is now all sitting on folding chairs on the Vrijthof rather than in stands. It ensures that the spectators on the front half of the square, in particular, repeatedly look around to see where that rider is riding, where Buddy Vedder and Danique Dusée are located, and where those dozens of extras with torches entered in the Conquest of Paradise setup of the Mastreechter Staar a few years ago at Rieu’s Vrijthof concert. But with that statement about a much greater focus on the acting, Hermans hits the nail on the head. For whereas the audience in the immense Geusselt set sometimes didn't know whether to look left or right because so much was happening right before their eyes, the image was now much more centered, and they saw a whipped Milan van Waardenburg on the ground singing a song while spitting blood, in close- up. And the final scene, in which Suzan Seegers ends up on the stake, hits twice as hard. "You really saw her die right before your eyes," says Pierre Rieu full of admiration. More intimate "This was much more intimate," says Rieu senior. “I went to see the Bokkenrijders at De Geusselt five times because my granddaughter Linde was in this production, playing Johanna Franssen, Suzan’s youngest daughter. But this was much better. I found it truly overwhelming,” says the orchestra conductor, who himself—understatement of the year—is certainly used to a lot. He praises Lida Huver’s camera direction, but also the ingenuity of his team and that of the Bokkenrijders in offering the audience something extra, despite the lack of drones. For instance, the drinking song by innkeeper Bart Storcken gets a hefty extra dose of exuberance halfway through the performance thanks to the fireworks that go into the air perfectly timed to the rhythm of the song ‘bier, bier, blondschuimend bier’ (Ode to beer). And once again, the large inflatable Bokkenrijder is not missing (although it does briefly obstruct the view on the right screen), and the extras also appear again with large bunches of white helium balloons. Another spectacular image is provided by the scene in which the Main Guard house is set ablaze with projections. And because *De Bokkenrijders* is a musical without a happy ending—Seegers and Van Waardenburg die—no golden confetti scraps or streamers are scattered over the audience at the end of the performance, but black ones instead. As if they were soot particles and mourning ribbons. This elicits the remark from spectators who have seen the performance for the second or even third time this evening: "We didn't even miss the drones." Royal spot Servé Hermans is still euphoric half an hour after the show has ended. “What a crazy road we have all traveled together, but what a lot of fun this was to do. For me, the Vrijthof is a sort of royal place as a theater maker, after I saw Jesus Christ Superstar performed here as a sixteen-year-old boy, with a very young Jeroen van Koningsbrugge in the role of Jesus and his later Draadstaal partner Dennis van de Ven in a supporting role. I remember thinking back then: how amazing, making theater *on* the Vrijthof, how cool is that. And now, 29 years later, I have managed to do it myself, thanks to Pierre and André Rieu.” One question remains: if he—knowing what he has now—had been allowed to do it all over again, would Hermans have preferred to play twenty performances in De Geusselt or on the Vrijthof? Hermans laughs: “Twenty in De Geusselt and twenty on the Vrijthof.”

The girl with the white cap is Pierre’s daughter Linde

Video impression by Ruud.

The Limburger, July 12, 2026, Ronald Colée translation: Ineke. Working day and night to reschedule Bokkenrijders show Limburger. It sounds simple: moving a Bokkenrijders performance to the Vrijthof, but it isn't. Nevertheless, those affected by two shows at De Geusselt cancelled due to the heat are now getting a full-fledged alternative, thanks to help from the Rieu family. No one has a ticket to get their money back. Everyone expects a solution. Director Frans Hendrickx of Toneelgroep Maastricht explains what transpired after he and co-producer Servé Hermans decided in late June to cancel two Bokkenrijders performances at De Geusselt due to the extreme heat. "First of all, we had to inform all the actors, extras, staff, and spectators as quickly as possible. Hundreds of people on our side and thousands on the other. After that, we started looking for an alternative lightning fast." The first plan was to make up for the two cancelled performances on Monday and Tuesday, immediately following the final performance on Sunday, June 28. “That ultimately fell through because of one company that had other commitments. That firm could keep all the materials for an extra week, but not for two days. Because they had to deploy their staff elsewhere that week.” Decisions made Since 28 companies were involved in the dismantling of the stands, stage, and scenery alone, decisions had to be made quickly. “Seventy trailers, twelve forklifts, and 260 man-days of staff were standing by to clear the entire stadium within a hundred hours after the final performance. But disappointing 12,000 spectators with the push of a button is not something you do lightly.” Relocating to the MECC and the Grenslandhallen in Hasselt was considered, when unexpectedly came “the touching offer” from Pierre and André Rieu to use the Vrijthof. “That meant we could only use the venue on a Monday or Tuesday.” Ultimately, exactly one day remained when the cast and crew were available: Monday, July 13. “That does mean, however, that we have to fly in Sheriff Xander van Vledder on Monday from his holiday address in Corsica, executioner Martijn van der Veen has to interrupt the filming of the movie Twilly, and innkeeper Bart Storcken has had to cancel a performance in Heerlen.” Another obstacle was the Municipality of Maastricht’s sixty-day rule, which stipulates that, to limit nuisance for local residents, the Vrijthof may only be occupied by events for sixty days a year. “Which we fully understand. Fortunately, Magic Maastricht was willing to give up a day, after consultation with all the stallholders.” Looking back on those five days—when all the signals turned green on Tuesday, June 30 at 6:00 PM—the first image that comes to mind for the Flemish native born in Sterrebeek is that of a call center. “ You cannot imagine how tense those days must have been. In addition, we also had to consult with the municipality regarding safety, traffic management, and the deployment of emergency services, while it was almost the weekend and the public was waiting for a solution.” Seating Plan Even when that was arranged, the hectic period was not over yet. "Because then you have to have a seating plan ready for the day you go public with the news. That means you have to have a mailing to the public ready and also had to deliver a thousand letters to residents in advance. Fortunately, dozens of volunteers signed up after just two WhatsApp messages to get the job done." Only then, according to the 40-year-old from Ghent (Belgium), could they look at the artistic content of the performance. "People are really getting a full-fledged show compared to the shows at De Geusselt. Only the drones are missing. Because a necessary safety zone in which no people are allowed to enter while flying is not possible in the city center of Maastricht." Even the turntable returns to the stage, albeit with a smaller diameter, as does the ring of fire meant to represent the pyre. “The horses are making an appearance again, too. Albeit with booties on their hooves, because there is no riding arena. Furthermore, we can make use of Rieu’s team to create live footage with twelve cameras that will be projected onto the screens next to the stage.” According to Hendrickx, the main screen of the Vrijthof stage is being used solely as an LED backdrop. “That also took some effort, because André and Pierre use a different system and their screen is taller and narrower than ours.” Collaboration Nevertheless, Hendrickx praises the collaboration with the orchestra conductor’s team. “Last Monday, their lighting crew and ours programmed new lighting from ten o’clock in the evening until half past three in the morning; on Saturday we rehearsed with the horses, on Sunday with the extras, and on Monday afternoon the cast is rehearsing. In addition, we also want to pull some surprises out of the hat at the Main Guardhouse and at the end of the performance.” It is clear that all of this is costing a pretty penny. Hendrickx: “That is true. This isn't a small job. I think we are more likely throwing hundreds of thousands at it. Fortunately, we ran a very good production with *Het geluk van Limburg*, so we have a buffer. Even if we lose a little money because of this show, we can still pay everyone. At most, it might have some consequences for future productions. But we won't know that until after the summer. However, I am convinced that what we have done now will pay off in the long run.

Instagram video. Isn’t it spectacular???

July 14, 2026 L1 News, Arthur Hubers © Jean-Pierre Geusens translation: Ineke. Extra breaks leg during rescheduled performance of much-troubled spectacle musical Bokkenrijders Things went wrong on stage during a massive fight scene. The final performance of the spectacle musical Bokkenrijders ended with one of the extras in the hospital. The man sustained a broken leg during a fall in front of the stage at the Vrijthof in Maastricht. The victim lay in front of the stage for minutes before it became clear that something was wrong. Stopped During a fight scene at the beginning of the final performance, the extra fell against a wheelbarrow serving as a prop. Because it is part of that scene for people to remain lying down, it was initially unclear that the victim had been injured. Only after nearly ten minutes was the performance stopped so that the extra could be carefully taken away in a wheelchair. Pins "It was a huge shock for all of us," director Servé Hermans said the following day after a conversation with the extra's girlfriend. "He is still in the hospital with a double leg fracture. He needs surgery; the fracture is being set together with pins." Much-plagued The accident is one of the tragedies in an already much-plagued series of performances, which kicked off in early June in rainy weather at the Geusselt Stadium. "It was a succession of highs and lows," Hermans reflects on the spectacular musical. Due to the heat during the third week of performances, lead actor Milan van Waardenburg became unwell on stage. The performance was cut short, and two subsequent performances were cancelled due to the heat. Holiday The performance on André Rieu's stage on Monday evening was therefore a rescheduled show attended by 7,800 people. "We put in a lot of work to move the performance to this stage," explains director Hermans. "We changed entire scenes and adjusted the choreography. And then this happens. It is especially upsetting for extra Evgeny and his wife. I hope to speak to him soon. He was actually supposed to go on vacation today."

© M. Musical site.

Video by Chapeau Magazine, Interview behind the scenes by Jo Cortenraedt. Dutch spoken. With English subtitles.

Extra Evgeny in hospital with double leg fracture and broken arm after last Bokkenrijders show: ‘Something good came out of previous fall’ July 17, 2026. De Limburger, Ronald Colée © De Limburger. Maastricht/ Eijsden As a soldier, he overlooked a wheelbarrow during the last Bokkenrijders performance at the Vrijthof. He took a nasty fall. Now Evgeny Parkhomenko (55) is in hospital with a double leg fracture and a broken arm. "I am in a lot of pain, but the medication is doing its job." That is just so bitter. Together with his daughter Polianna, he had wanted to spend a few days on the Zeeland coast, but instead, Evgeny Parkhomenko is now in the hospital in Maastricht with a double leg fracture and a broken arm. Jumping The 55-year-old Ukrainian fell on Monday as an extra during the last (catch-up) performance of the Bokkenrijders at the Vrijthof in Maastricht. “I was a soldier of the sheriff who had to capture Danique Dusée in the opening battle. So, I sprinted, but overlooked a wheelbarrow set up as a prop. I even tried to jump over it, but that failed.” To avoid ruining the show, he decided to stay lying down for nearly twenty minutes. “That was possible. Because a fight had taken place in the performance anyway, but when we had to get up again at the beginning of the song *Buigen of breken* (Bend or Break), Milan van Waardenburg realized something wasn't right. He then gave a stop signal to the director together with Buddy Vedder, after which the performance was halted.” Evgeny was taken away in a wheelchair to the first aid post in the Hoofdwacht (Main Guardhouse) on the Vrijthof. “They splinted my leg there, after which I was taken to the hospital by ambulance.” Four days later, he is still there. Pain “When the doctors took an X-ray, it turned out that I had broken my calf and shinbone and that it was a complicated fracture. I also asked the doctors to take a look at my arm, because although I could move my fingers, that arm hurt. It turned out I had sustained a small tear there.” He is suffering the most from his leg. “I am in a lot of pain, but fortunately the medication is doing its job.” The single man who fled his homeland four years ago is, however, mainly upset that he now has to leave the care of his daughter to his girlfriend Sarah. "I have two daughters. One is 27 and the other is 11. Four years ago, with the help of the Red Cross, I flew from Kharkiv to Amsterdam with the youngest, Polianna, and after wandering through places including Kerkrade, Valkenburg, Rijckholt, and Margraten, ended up in Eijsden. That is also where I met Sarah." The Ukrainian, trained as an actor, is therefore primarily very grateful. To Sarah, to all the Dutch people who welcomed him so lovingly here and provided him with clothes and supplies, "but also to all the people from the Bokkenrijders family. Because that is really how it feels."

Texts He points to the flowers from the cast, crew, and production and shows his phone, on which 605 (!) texts with get-well wishes have come in since Monday evening. “From Suzan, from Milan, from Buddy, from Danique, but also from Servé. And I received a video message from Pierre Rieu inviting me to attend a Vrijthof concert by his father next year.” The always positive fifty-something tears well up. “And to think that Polianna and I arrived here two years ago with two small suitcases, without knowing anyone. And that’s it. We didn’t even have flip-flops to wear in the summer. Just our sneakers.” The fact that his daughter, four years later, is now part of the conservatory’s talent class as a great piano talent, fills him with pride. He himself hopes to be recovered in time for his next ‘acting gig’ as a choir member in the new production by Opera Zuid and Buurtopera Malpertuis: Uprising. Bicycle “How did I end up there?” Evgeny laughs. “Last year, I was riding my bike from Maastricht to Eijsden when I went down in a right-hand bend. The entire right side of my body was covered in scrapes, but when I got up, strangely enough, my left wrist hurt. So, I called Sarah and, on her advice, went to the emergency room at the hospital in Maastricht.” Something good came out of my first fall, so I’m assuming the same will happen with this second fall. There, Evgeny found a couple in the waiting room, the husband of whom also appeared to have broken something. “At one point, I saw his wife take a sheet of music out of her bag. And since I sing too, we started talking. To which she said: ‘I’m with Opera Zuid and we’re still looking for men,’ and gave me her business card. When I was out of the cast a month later, I attended a rehearsal for their production Happy End by invitation and was allowed to start immediately.” Yet Happy End was not his first acting job in the Netherlands. For before that, he had already appeared twice as an extra in the TV series Flikken Maastricht and acted as a police officer in the drama series Elixer. “And besides that, Sarah naturally signed me up for Bokkenrijders.” Something good Evgeny does not know if he will have recovered in time for Uprising with his double leg fracture. “Although I don’t want to make a habit of it, something good came out of my first fall, so I’m just assuming that will happen with this second fall as well.”

Evgeny Parkhomenko (left) and Jan-Willem Stroeken restrain actor Floris Devooght as soldiers of the sheriff during the ‘Bokkenrijders’ musical. © Bjorn Frins