DISCOVER STRIJP-S!

THE ART DEPARTMENT EINDHOVEN 2026 (SOLD OUT)

Eindhoven Strijp-S, a formal industrial area that turned into a lively blend of culture, art and food. The Art Department festival is hosted at The Klokgebouw, one of the iconic buildings on Strijp-S. If you’re here for The Art Department you should definitely take the opportunity to explore the characteristic hotspots around Strijp.

One of the best things about Strijp is that you don’t necessarily have to enter any buildings to enjoy the area. There is plenty to see like the great murals at skatepark Area 51 which are hardly to miss. Take a walk around the impressive buildings that can be found stretched along the neighborhood.

In front of Het Klokgebouw, behind Het Ketelhuis, there’s Het Ketelhuisplein. You might want to keep an eye on this terrace because Playgrounds is arranging something special there during The Art Department.

A bit further into Strijp you can find Natlab. Natlab is a former laboratory of Philips that turned into a hotspot for food, theater and is currently the home of Playgrounds International Film Festival.

If you want to expand your art experience, you might want to pay a visit at the The MU Hybrid Art House which is located in the former Philips factory. The MU presents new work of designers who play with the definition, boundaries and space of art itself. There is a lot of intersection between the disciplines in the program of the MU.

Looking for some fashion inspiration? Then you should give second hand store Vintage Vêtements a go. The store is a place where sustainability and fashion cross worlds, their collection is filled with unique hand picked items. Besides Vintage Vêtements there are many more shops with delicate finds to discover.

Looking for a place to stay in Eindhoven? Some hotel recommendations are Blue Collar or Westcord.

20 YEARS OF PLAYGROUNDS: OUR BIG BIRTHDAY BASH
are you ready to celebrate? (Thursday 16 April)
afterparty
SONY PICTURES ANIMATION (KPOP DEMON HUNTERS)
head of character animation Joshua Beveridge & visual development artist Wendell Dalit
artist talk
NATHAN FOWKES
concept artist
artist talk
BLUR
production company
artist talk
MATT NAVA (GIANT SQUID STUDIOS)
game development studio
artist talk
PERNILLE ØRUM
character designer, visual development artist
artist talk
MOONHOOD
video game studio
artist talk
RAMAN DJAFARI
illustrator, animator, filmmaker
artist talk
BORIS & NICOLAS
animators
artist talk
OLOV BURMAN
director and animator
artist talk
BLENDER STUDIO
premiere of new short Singularity
artist talk
CLAIRE KEANE
author-illustrator, visual development artist
artist talk
LIP COMARELLA
director, visual development artist, art director
artist talk
ADAM PALOIAN
director, producer, character designer
artist talk
CAT JOHNSTON
director, character designer, model maker and illustrator
artist talk
LOEK VUGS
designer, animator, teacher
artist talk
XAVIERA ALTENA
illustrator
artist talk
MAUREEN VAN DER HOUT & RACHELLE JOY SLINGERLAND
character design duo
artist talk
DIEPFRIS
concept artist
artist talk
BIANCA NAZARI (ENVAR STUDIO)
senior recruiter
artist talk
SANDRO CLEUZO
animator and character designer
artist talk
YONK
VR sculpting 3D animation studio
artist talk
ENVAR STUDIO
outsource & game studio
artist talk
REAL TALKS WITH IRIS COMPIET & LOISH
a sit-down with two industry legends
real talk
FONS SCHIEDON
director, designer
artist talk
IRIS COMPIET: FROM SKETCH TO WATER COLOR
an ode to traditional media
demo
ARTIST STUDIOS
check your favorite artists at work
artist studios
LESBIAN SIMULATOR
a VR experience by Iris van der Meule
expo
ART MARKET
print, apparal & tattoos
art market
CLIP STUDIO PAINT DEMO BY SYNTICFAYE
illustrator
demo
SKETCH SESSIONS BY DRINK AND DRAW BERLIN
live sketching experience
sketch sessions
NEXT STAGE
stage curated by the Next Talent Program
artist talk
NEXT STAGE: MURMUR ANIMATION
animation duo
artist talk
NEXT STAGE: SABER AIDARUS
director, animator
artist talk
NEXT STAGE: PIT LEMPENS
illustrator, animator
artist talk
NEXT STAGE: TESSA STEHOUWER
animator
artist talk
NEXT STAGE: JIP CROMBAG
game designer
artist talk
NEXT STAGE: LUCAS PETERSEN
2D animator, storyboarder
artist talk
OPEN STAGE: REDIVIDER STUDIO
creative studio
artist talk
OPEN STAGE: SYNTICFAYE
illustrator
artist talk
EXPO: THE SECRET OF NIMH
key pieces from one of the largest NIMH collections in Europe
expo
PANEL: DIVERSIFY YOUR SKILLS
with Georgie Holt, Bianca Nazari, Kevin Zamir Goeke and Bastien Grivet!
panel
DEMO BY LOISH
dive into Loish' digital drawing process
demo
PANEL: CREATIVITY AND HUMAN NATURE
with Spiridon Giannakis, Pernille Ørum, Lip Comarella and Atey Ghailan
panel
VPRO RADIO NOOIT MEER SLAPEN WITH IRIS COMPIET
live recording with VPRO Nooit Meer Slapen (this interview is in Dutch)
interview
ASK AWAY! Q&A WITH TAD ARTISTS
getting answers to audience questions
ask away!
WORKSHOP CREATE & PLAY BY CARDBOARDERS
16 April | create your own character!
workshop
LIVE ANIMATION WITH SANDRO CLEUZO
right before your eyes
demo
BOOKSHOP
discover art books, comics and exclusive titles
books
PLAYGROUNDS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2026
where we put the art of filmmaking in the spotlight
film fest
FOOD & DRINKS BY SMAAKMAKERIJ
coffee, snacks, burgers, poké bowls and more!
food & drinks
PLAYGROUNDS 20 YEARS BUMPERS
by students from the St.Joost Master of Animation
expo
COMMUNITY ART CHALLENGES
have your works shown during TAD 2026
community
20 YEARS OF PLAYGROUNDS TREASURE HUNT
WHAT IS THE INDUSTRY GARDEN?
meet industry professionals to let your projects grow
industry garden
PORTFOLIO REVIEWS
brush up your portfolios! (register on-site)
portfolio reviews, industry garden
FACE 2 FACE
Sketch, chat, repeat! (register on-site)
chat and doodles
MEET & GREETS
chat with our festival speakers
industry garden
GAME DEMOS
play the game of your favorite artist
industry garden
SONY PICTURES ANIMATION
animation studio
industry garden, industry walk-in
ENVAR STUDIO
industry garden, industry walk-in
SOUND & VISION
join the competition!
industry garden, industry walk-in
SUBMARINE
animation studio
industry garden, industry walk-in
PATHFINDER STUDIOS
concept art studio
industry garden, industry walk-in
TWIRLBOUND
game studio
industry garden, industry walk-in
GUERRILLA
game studio
industry garden, industry walk-in
COOLER MEDIA
animation studio
industry garden, industry walk-in
AMBASSADORS
multi-disciplinary studio
industry garden, industry walk-in
KUNSTENBOND
supporting creatives & cultural workers
industry garden, industry walk-in
DE ONTMOETING
talent development & funding
industry garden, industry walk-in
B’GAME INCUBATOR
startup development
industry garden, industry walk-in
AVANS UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
Master of Animation
industry garden, education corner
BREDA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES (BUAS)
Academy of Games
industry garden, education corner
MEDIACOLLEGE AMSTERDAM
Game Artist Program
industry garden, education corner
ST.JOOST ACADEMY OF ART & DESIGN
Illustrated & Animated Storytelling
industry garden, education corner
DELTION COLLEGE
Immersive Designer and Developer
industry garden, education corner
FONTYS ICT
Virtual Production (VP) minor
industry garden, education corner
HANZE UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
Creative Media and Game Technologies
industry garden, education corner
FONTYS ACADEMY OF THE ARTS
Art, Communication and Design
industry garden, education corner
NEXT BY SINTLUCAS
3D Dynamics, 2D Flow, New Technologies
industry garden, education corner
THE NETHERLANDS FILM ACADEMY
VFX (Visual Effects)
industry garden, education corner
WILLEM DE KOONING ACADEMY
animation and illustration
industry garden, industry walk-in
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES FUND NL
cultural funding
industry garden, industry walk-in
DUTCH GAMES ASSOCIATION
sector organization for game creators
industry garden, industry walk-in
JOB, JORIS & MARIEKE
animation studio
industry garden, industry walk-in
NIXXES
game development studio
industry garden, industry walk-in
ARTEZ ACADEMY OF ART & DESIGN ZWOLLE
animation design
industry garden, industry walk-in