What does Bart say? | Theme Parks • Fairs • Attractions

Anyone who has visited the park during the summer season in recent years knows that the Efteling squares always truly come to life. Fortunately, you won’t have to miss out on the familiar classics this year either. You can find the trusted Anderberg Musikverein bringing the tunes to the Max & Moritz Plein once again, while the Djinn provides the necessary touch of mysticism over at Fata Morgana. Add the enchanting fairies on the Ton van de Ven Plein and a culinary evening with Wolf to the mix, and the perfect foundation for an amazing day at the park has been laid.

If you are curious about all of these familiar and beloved acts, I highly recommend checking out my Summer Efteling article from last year. In that post, I will take you on a detailed tour of each individual square to show you exactly what there is to see and do. In this particular article, however, I want to dive straight into the brand-new Efteling Summer Festival: the ultimate hotspot where the real action is happening this season! With surprising acts and live entertainment spread out across the entire day, you can easily enjoy yourself for hours without ever having to leave the festival grounds. From warming up your dance moves with DJ Ezel to being absolutely blown away by the Big Bad Wolf Band: the Efteling Summer Festival is without a doubt the place to be this summer!

To make sure you catch all of these shows, using the Efteling app is more essential than ever this year. With so much additional entertainment on offer throughout the summer, the app truly becomes your personal itinerary for the day. Make sure you don’t forget to enable push notifications for the specific acts you absolutely don’t want to miss. That way, you’ll be perfectly on time and won’t miss a single beat of all the summer excitement during your day at Efteling!

The beach hut and surfboards from previous years have made way this season for a truly impressive, grand festival gateway. The moment you walk underneath it, you leave the rest of the park behind for a while and find yourself instantly immersed in the ultimate festival vibe. Exactly as we have come to expect from Efteling, every single detail has been meticulously thought out: the cozy food and beverage stalls are perfectly combined across the grounds with themed games and unique souvenir shops. And as if that weren’t enough, this is also where you’ll find the special meet-and-greet location, where Pardijn is waiting for a photo opportunity in her brand-new, summer-inspired outfit.

Planning an early arrival at the park? It is definitely worth keeping in mind that the festival grounds don’t open until 11:00 AM—an hour later than the rest of the park.

Grooving with DJ Ezel and the Fabiola fairies:
DJ Ezel doesn’t just kick off the festival day; he also brings along two very special dancers: the Fabiola fairies from the ‘Indische Waterlelies‘ ! What follows is a twenty-minute act that, while primarily aimed at the little ones, is secretly incredibly fun for adults to watch as well. Standing still is simply not an option. The set is highly interactive and rushes at breakneck speed from well-known children’s songs to recognizable Sprookjesboom (Fairytale Tree) classics, with the fairies in their iconic dresses teaching the choreography to the kids. Pretty much everyone around and underneath the giant festival tent joined in enthusiastically. When the ultimate Dutch festival anthem ‘Links Rechts’ by Snollebollekes blasted through the speakers, the crowd—parents included—went absolutely wild, transforming the Speelweide into a genuine party tent.

Is this the kind of act you would immediately expect from Efteling? Yes and no. On one hand, you instantly recognize the familiar Efteling vibe through the classic Sprookjesboom tracks. On the other hand, the Top 40 kids’ hits that are featured now are songs you absolutely wouldn’t have heard in the park until a few years ago. You can clearly tell that Efteling has taken a more modern path with its entertainment, especially for the younger demographic. While the show personally has a bit less replay value for me as an adult, it is an absolute bullseye for its target audience. I can guarantee you will see the younger visitors grooving here with giant smiles on their faces during every single park visit!

Dancing with the Dolls: a powerful act that needs time to settle.
Forget Dancing with the Stars—in 2026, the Speelweide is all about Dancing with the Dolls. In this act, Chico and Chica have traveled the globe to compete in a prestigious dance competition. It’s a catchy concept that fits beautifully into the park’s atmosphere. With subtle nods to cinematic classics like Grease and Dirty Dancing, Efteling cleverly tries to win over the older crowd as well. Unfortunately, the jokes and references fly by at such a rapid pace that they often land too late, or completely miss the audience. Even for me, the penny only dropped during my second viewing, which is a bit of a shame for a festival act. As an annual passholder, I can easily swing by again, but a day visitor will likely miss the core of the show because of this.

Fortunately, the performance itself is solid as a rock. The various dance moves are taught to the audience interactively, and the chemistry between the actors is absolutely incredible; their sheer joy and stamina radiate from the stage. While the musical choices are generally excellent, the snippets of Carnaval Festival and the Sprookjesboom song ‘Hout Hakken’ (Chopping Wood) missed the mark a bit for me. Luckily, that was more than made up for by the phenomenal finale: (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.

The dolls themselves are also put to good use. Out of the show’s twenty-minute runtime, they are only featured briefly. On one hand, that’s a shame, but on the other hand, it’s just enough to keep it from becoming distracting. While I heard some people around me whispering that the act ‘didn’t feel like Efteling,’ I have to disagree. It fits into the park just fine, though it still needs that final push to become truly Efteling-worthy. But if they manage to iron out those final details? Then this show is so universally strong that Europa-Park could adopt it tomorrow for the stage in their Spanish themed area.

High energy with the Red Nose Boogie Boys:
While Efteling’s summer concept may have changed significantly, one thing, thankfully, remains exactly the same: the Red Nose Boogie Boys. Once again this year, the guys turn every performance into a massive party, making it simply impossible to stand still from minute one. The moment the iconic Red Nose Boogie Bus rolls onto the stage, the show erupts with their opening track ‘Celebration’—unleashing an energy that they effortlessly maintain for the entire thirty minutes. What makes this act exceptionally strong is its international accessibility. Even though the main performance is in Dutch, the guys seamlessly switch to English the moment they spot international guests in the crowd. This is an absolute must-see for all visitors.

A major plus of the new festival concept is that the Boogie Boys are finally getting the stage they deserve. Their popularity has skyrocketed over the past few years. By placing them on a larger stage now, all their fans get the space to stand up close, and the performers are a lot safer. Last year, unfortunately, you could still regularly see them getting crowded or cornered too quickly by the audience; thanks to this professional setup, that is luckily a thing of the past.

As a loyal annual passholder, I do have one small piece of criticism: the act is repeated exactly the same way every hour. Personally, I would have preferred it if they varied the setlist a bit from hour to hour. But credit where credit’s due: even though the show is identical every time, it remains an absolute, genuine blast during every single performance.

A rocking finale: the Big Bad Wolf band steals the show:
The festival on the Speelweide is closed out in a truly phenomenal way with a live performance by The Big Bad Wolf Band. The moment the band steps onto the stage, you immediately notice just how much work has been put into the concept; the band members look fantastic in their themed outfits, and the lead singer possesses a fabulous, powerhouse voice that commands absolute respect. With this high-energy rock and pop act, Efteling subtly brings back the nostalgic atmosphere of the old Zomeravonden (Summer Nights). It instantly evokes memories of the days when a different major artist would take the stage at the Brink every single weekend, getting all the visitors up and dancing.

With her immense vocal strength and charisma, the lead singer effortlessly captivates the entire audience. The setlist is cleverly curated: the songs fit the band’s edgy look perfectly while simultaneously retaining that recognizable Efteling vibe. Right from the very first second, they deliver a show that would make many a mainstream pop festival jealous. Despite the impressive size of the main stage, the frontwoman knows exactly how to utilize every single inch of the performance space. She constantly seeks out interaction, keeping absolutely everyone on the lawn dancing and singing along.

Efteling can be genuinely proud of the talent they have secured for this production; this is top-tier entertainment at its finest. Unfortunately, the performance only lasted half an hour, but if it were up to me, this band could have easily filled the entire evening. If anything, it proves that the park understands perfectly well that these kinds of live performances draw massive, enthusiastic crowds. This is high-quality entertainment that, as far as I’m concerned, they should put on the schedule as a permanent fixture for years to come!

From dumplings to STELZ: Asian vibes on the festival grounds.
The Efteling Summer Festival doesn’t just pull out all the stops when it comes to new and innovative acts; the food and beverage lineup has also received a massive upgrade. This year, the park seems to have fully embraced Asian cuisine, with options ranging from steaming bowls of ramen to freshly steamed dumplings. Personally, I am not usually the biggest fan of Asian food, but if you feel the same way, don’t worry—there is luckily more than enough to try.

As far as I’m concerned, the dumplings are an absolute must-try, and if you’re looking to cool down during those warm festival days, the iced coffee is a total bullseye. Are you more of an ice cream lover? If so, you can opt for a truly unique creation this year: a mango sticky rice spring roll served with a scoop of yogurt ice cream, mango-passionfruit, and shredded coconut. Although I haven’t tried this one myself yet, it looked so delicious when the people next to me ordered it that it’s officially on my list for the next visit. And for those who prefer to keep things a bit more traditional, the trusted summer special of the Broodje Unox is also available, this time topped with satay sauce, fried onions, and pickled cucumber.

The biggest surprise on the drinks menu is without a doubt the brand-new STELZ Bar that has popped up right in the middle of the festival grounds. This popular hard seltzer is the perfect, refreshing summer drink to enjoy while watching the various performances. A really cool premiere for the park! On top of that, Efteling is cleverly jumping on the latest trends with their updated iced coffee lineup, offering unique creations like a matcha latte, as well as refreshing ube sodas and ube lattes. Do keep in mind, though: STELZ contains alcohol and is, naturally, exclusively sold to visitors aged 18 and older, so make sure to bring your ID just in case.

Conclusion: a successful festival concept with a bright future!
With its revamped summer concept, Efteling proves in 2026 that the park is not afraid to innovate. While acts like DJ Ezel and Dancing with the Dolls—with their modern Top 40 influences and rapid-fire humor—might take some getting used to for the traditional Efteling visitor, they undeniably prove their worth for the younger demographic. Furthermore, long-time crowd favorites like the Red Nose Boogie Boys are finally getting the full-fledged stage on the Speelweide that they have deserved for years.

However, the absolute icing on the cake is The Big Bad Wolf Band. With their high-quality live music, they prove that the nostalgic and familiar atmosphere of the old Zomeravonden (Summer Nights) is far from gone. Although some acts might lose their element of surprise after the first viewing for loyal annual passholders due to the hourly repetition, the Speelweide offers an incredibly strong and dynamic lineup. Efteling is sitting on an entertainment goldmine here—though we shouldn’t say that too loudly around Baron Gustave Hooghmoed, or all that gold will soon vanish into the depths of the Baron 1898 mine shaft!

If they continue to fine-tune the details in the coming years and dare to add some variation to the setlists, this festival concept has the absolute potential to grow into a permanent summer tradition.