NIEUWE NOR

NIEUWE NOR is a music venue and event promoter based in Heerlen, the Netherlands. Its history began in 1969, when the Nor opened as a student society in a former police station on Geerstraat; it later operated as a cultural café. After two moves, the Nor settled on Pancratiusstraat in 1998, and a concert hall opened there in December 2006, establishing NIEUWE NOR as a pop venue.

The venue presents concerts and dance nights, with programming spanning pop, rock, metal and electronic music. Brent Bemelen handles dance programming, while Martijn Belleflame works on live concerts and Ruben Schreibers on metal and punk. Nightmare has appeared on its line-ups. NIEUWE NOR also organises events beyond its own building, from chapel concerts to outdoor festivals, and runs talent-development programmes for emerging musicians from the Parkstad region. It supports training and work placements in backstage roles.

Named programmes include New Wave, the metal night Hard in Heerlen, and Nieuwe Nor Nacht, which focuses on dance. TechNORm, a techno night series, began in 2006 and ran for more than fifty editions between 2007 and 2012; its bookings included Michel de Hey and Heroes Of The South. In March 2022, the Gulpener Grote Zaal opened, bringing the venue’s capacity across two halls to more than 1,200 visitors.