Milkshake Festival Is Paying Tribute to Photographer Erwin Olaf

Milkshake Festival, on Friday 26, Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 July 2024 at the Westergasterrein in Amsterdam (Netherlands), will this year extensively commemorate Erwin Olaf. The top photographer, who died on September 20, 2023, was closely involved with Milkshake Festival since its founding in 2012.

Olaf was most famous for his commercial and personal work. He was commissioned to photograph advertising campaigns for large international companies such as Levi’s, Microsoft, and Nokia. Some of his most famous photographic series include “Grief”, “Rain”, and “Royal Blood”. Never one to shy away from controversy, Olaf’s work was often daring and provocative. Humorously however, one of his early photographs was once expelled from a show on the basis of not containing nudity.

His photography style was characterized by his staged settings and poses, where he had every detail under control. Olaf had a great reputation worldwide and was one of the best-known photographers in the Netherlands. The human body was central to his work, from sexuality to transience. Olaf made several portraits of the Dutch royal family. Time magazine described his work as straddling “the worlds of commercial, art and fashion photography at once”

“What can I say? Milkshake without Erwin. That is difficult to imagine, but a tribute is the least we can do. We have always worked well together. He was and is part of the Milkshake Family. As an organization we are still heartbroken and we miss Erwin terribly. We will certainly feel that during the Milkshake Weekend.” – Marieke Samallo (founder of Milkshake Festival)

The Grand Opening of Milkshake Festival will take place on Friday, July 26 from 8:00 PM to 2:00 AM. This evening is presented in collaboration with Mighty Hoopla from the United Kingdom. Mighty Hoopla is a celebration of alternative club culture led by Sink The Pink and Guilty Pleasures with their Hoopla friends and family in tow. Mighty Hoopla presents a new pop extravaganza and guarantees a mix of legendary and new live acts, energetic DJs, beautiful dancers and artists galore. About 4,000 tickets are available for this Grand Opening.

From Friday 26 to Sunday 28 July, the Westergasterrein will be dedicated to the Milkshake Festival. Kinky Sundays from Hamburg and Café t Mandje on Zeedijk Amsterdam are responsible for part of the programming. The full line up for Milkshake Festival will be announced soon.

18,000 tickets are available per day for the weekend. The combined travel packages can be purchased from today, while regular ticket sales will start on February 14. If the festival alone is not enough, you can go to Paradiso for the afterparties on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets will also be available for this from February 14.

About Milkshake Festival

Milkshake Festival was founded in 2012 and has grown into a two-day festival since its fifth edition in 2016. The dance festival was developed from the philosophy ‘nothing is mandatory, everything is allowed’. It shows that entertainment, choice of music, choice of clothing and status has nothing to do with sexuality. During Milkshake there is an atmosphere that is free from the compartmentalization created by society. Life is a party thanks to the great diversity of skin colors, sexual preferences, gender and a range of appearances. Milkshake celebrates the city and its initiatives and is committed to a little more courtesy and love for each other. Fat, thin, small, big, gay, straight, trans, black or white: people are the salt of the earth and we are going to celebrate this!