De Helling

De Helling is a medium-sized live music venue in Utrecht’s Rotsoord district, just beyond the city centre, and operates as a club at night. Its main room accommodates about 420 to 500 people, depending on the setup. It began as Tivoli De Helling, opening on October 24, 2003, in a former museum depot on Helling after Tivoli took over the venue following the bankruptcy of De Vrije Vloer.

De Vrije Vloer presented concerts and parties in a squatted hall beneath the Paardenveld car park from 1980. It left that location in 1995 and moved to the Rotsoord depot in 2000. After TivoliVredenburg opened in June 2014, the venue became independent and took the name De Helling. Its programme ranges across bass music, heavy music, alternative, hip-hop and experimental sounds, as well as other genres.

Artists who have performed there include Mala, Black Sun Empire, Pendulum and Jeff Mills. Utrecht acid collective 030303 held its first party at De Helling in 2005 and went on to develop a recurring club concept. Club nights and weekly OPEN evenings, which showcase local talent, are programmed separately from live shows. Joep Smeets has overseen the concert programme since summer 2019, while the café hosts spoken-word events, debates and open mics. De Helling hosted early editions of Le Guess Who? Mayday, including a performance by Thee Oh Sees.