ROTTERDAM STREET CULTURE WEEKEND #WOOOSH

Rotterdam Festivals, Rotterdam Topsport and the Municipality of Rotterdam put urban sports and street culture on the map during the Rotterdam Street Culture Weekend #WOOOSH last September. Highlighting the disciplines of street art, hip hop music, street soccer, street ball, free running and skateboarding, these parties showcased the urban vibe, a powerful manifestation of Rotterdam culture. The first edition of the Rotterdam Street Culture Weekend was loaded with the hashtag #wooosh, evoking the sound of a skateboard or a spray can. The engagement of influencers and ambassadors ensured that the event gained prominence on social media. The street art festival POW! WOW! was one of the programmed items of the street culture weekend, and clearly demonstrated that Rotterdam citizens are trendsetters who make the most of what the city has to offer. After many years of pitching, HIJS and Rewriters were allowed to host the very first European edition of the POW! WOW! festival. Their event attracted hundreds of visitors and resulted in dozens of wall paintings, awesome hip hop shows, sporting tournaments, and on-the-spot painted columns in the Merwe4Haven area. There were other events as well as POW! WOW! Rotterdam: the RTM Skateboard World Cup, Street Art Awards Benelux, Walls & Wheels, and Art Goot. All in all, these events encouraged visitors and residents to discover a whole new face of Rotterdam. The event has already been scheduled for 2019, when it will be on an even grander scale. Rotterdam intends to make itself attractive to a young, hip and international target group.