While the Belgian band gave an unforgettable show in the Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, many fans had to test their patience afterwards in the Q-Park parking garage Heuvel.
Visitors to the Clouseau concert last weekend in Eindhoven got more than just a musical surprise. While the Belgian pop group, consisting of brothers Koen and Kris Wauters, treated the audience in the Muziekgebouw Eindhoven to an evening full of nostalgic hits, an unpleasant surprise awaited them outside afterwards. The waiting times in the Q-Park Parking Garage Heuvel, where many concertgoers had parked their cars, caused frustration among many drivers.
The concert, part of the CLOUSEAU40 Clubtour, brought an enthusiastic crowd of around 1.600 visitors to their feet on Sunday evening. Fans were able to enjoy a performance full of classics such as “Anne”, “Daar gaat ze” and “Nobelprijs”. The duo, who have been scoring hit after hit since the 80s, did not disappoint musically. But what should have been a festive evening ended for many in long lines and unexpected costs at the parking garage.
De parking experience turned out to have a bitter aftertaste for many visitors. Although the concert ended around 23:30, some cars were still stuck in a traffic jam for an hour afterwards to parking garage to leave. For many, the time limit to leave after paying for their parking ticket had already passed. Visitors who were stuck for too long discovered that their parking ticket had expired and had to pay an additional amount of €2,50 to be able to leave the garage. This on top of the already relatively high parking costs of €14,- for the evening.
“I had such a great night at the Clouseau concert,” says one of the visitors, “but that parking experience ruined everything. I stood still at the barrier for over half an hour, and when it was finally my turn, my ticket was no longer valid. I thought it was ridiculous that I had to pay again.”
Visitors who had waited too long at the exit discovered that their parking ticket had expired and had to pay an additional amount of €2,50 to be able to leave the garage.
The situation in the parking garage raised questions among many concertgoers about the Q-Park parking system and the lack of sufficient flow at busy times. Another victim of the long waiting times says: “It was chaos in the garage. Everyone was stuck and it seemed as if there was no Q-Park employee present to sort out the situation. There was a bad atmosphere. People were getting frustrated.”
The problem seems to lie with the infrastructure of the garage, which was not designed for the large numbers of vehicles that wanted to leave at the same time after the concert. The lack of guidance and support from Q-Park worsened the situation, which only increased the waiting times. Concertgoers had no choice but to wait patiently, often in annoyance.
Clouseau's concert at the Muziekgebouw Eindhoven on Sunday evening was attended by approximately 1.600 visitors.
Despite this unpleasant experience, it does not seem to harm Clouseau's popularity. Their CLOUSEAU40 Clubtour will continue in the Netherlands in the coming weeks, with performances planned on Thursday 26 September in the Paard in The Hague and Saturday 28 September in Hedon, Zwolle. On Sunday 29 September the band will be in Musis in Arnhem and on Wednesday 2 October they will close in the Muziekgieterij in Maastricht.
Whether visitors to these concerts will have a better experience in terms of parking remains to be seen. However, it seems clear to many Eindhoven residents that the combination of a full parking garage and a popular concert night in the Muziekgebouw is a recipe for trouble.
