Can Studio 100 make its new 1,544-seat pop-up theatre work in Hofstade?

The municipality of Zemst granted Studio 100 an environmental permit on 11 August for a temporary 1,544-seat theatre at the Sport Vlaanderen domain in Hofstade, clearing a major regulatory hurdle for performances planned from spring 2027. The approval comes with binding conditions: Studio 100 must respect Flemish environmental noise limits, help manage traffic around the N227-N267 junction and refrain from scheduling weekend matinees in June, July and August, when the recreation domain and nearby ZOO Planckendael already generate heavier visitor flows.

The theatre will occupy a grassed area beside Parking D, near the domain’s main entrance on the Tervuursesteenweg. According to Sport Vlaanderen’s project information, the principal structure will measure about 110 by 50 metres, with a free height of 13 metres, while a separate backstage area will measure 25 by 40 metres. It will be a demountable tent-style construction with fixed walls and a fixed auditorium rather than the moving stands used at Studio 100’s former venue in Puurs.

That distinction is commercially important. Studio 100 is not simply transferring its old theatre to another municipality; it is adapting a capital-intensive production model after the economics of the Puurs site became increasingly difficult. VRT NWS

Organisation

VRT NWS

Public-service news outlet covering the 2025 closure of the Puurs theatre.

Why it matters

Public-service news outlet covering the 2025 closure of the Puurs theatre.

About

VRT NWS is the main news channel of the Flemish national broadcasting company VRT. It has an associated website which provides text articles on news, analyses, and general background information.

Official site ↗View source record ↗

Hofstade therefore represents a more measured attempt to preserve large-scale musical production in a relatively small Dutch-language market. The new venue will have 1,544 seats and is expected to operate for roughly two years, according to Sport Vlaanderen. Its fixed seating removes one of the defining technical features of Puurs, but may also simplify the installation and operation. Studio 100 has not publicly disclosed the project’s construction budget, lease terms, expected occupancy rate or break-even ticket sales, so the financial case cannot yet be tested independently.

The company enters the project from a position of scale. Studio 100 NV, registered under Belgian enterprise number BE 0457.622.640, reported revenue of approximately €107.2 million in 2024, 19% above the previous year’s €90.3 million, according to company information derived from filings at the National Bank of Belgium. The entity employed an average of about 175 full-time equivalents. Those figures concern Studio 100 NV rather than the economics of this theatre alone, but they underline that the applicant is a substantial Flemish media and entertainment business rather than a stand-alone local producer.

For households, the immediate consequences are practical. A regular sold-out performance could draw several hundred cars into an area already used by swimmers, athletes, walkers and families visiting the recreation domain. Sport Vlaanderen estimates that an audience of around 1,500 would produce approximately 450 to 550 cars, based on its experience of roughly 3.3 occupants per vehicle in Puurs. Visitors will be directed to Parking D when space is available, while a separate temporary car park is planned for cast and crew.

The permit requires changes to the traffic-light plan at the junction of the N227 and N267, in consultation with the Flemish Roads and Traffic Agency. Studio 100 must monitor mobility during operations, and Zemst will convene an evaluation with public authorities and transport operator De Lijn

Organisation

De Lijn

Flemish public transport operator required to participate in the post-opening mobility evaluation.

Why it matters

Flemish public transport operator required to participate in the post-opening mobility evaluation.

About

Vlaamse Vervoersmaatschappij De Lijn, more commonly known as De Lijn, is a state-owned enterprise run by the Flemish Government in Belgium to provide public transport with about 2240 buses and 399 trams. De Lijn was founded in 1991 after the public transport companies of Antwerp and Ghent merged with the Flemish part of the NMVB.

Official site ↗View source record ↗

For nearby businesses, the opportunity is real but should not be overstated. Zemst plans a consultation with local hospitality operators about capturing visitor spending. The precedent from Puurs suggests that restaurants and accommodation providers can benefit: VRT NWS spoke to a nearby hotel operator who had offered theatre packages and sometimes filled all 17 rooms with musical visitors. Yet Hofstade’s location, audience travel patterns and performance calendar differ, and no estimate has been published for local spending or employment.

The municipality and Sport Vlaanderen present the theatre as complementary to the domain’s sporting and recreational functions. For residents and regular users, the more cautious view is that a commercial venue on publicly managed leisure grounds must prove it can coexist with existing traffic, parking and environmental needs. The permit conditions acknowledge those concerns, but their effectiveness will only become clear once performances begin. Third parties also retain the right to challenge the permit within the applicable appeal period after formal notification or posting of the decision.

Studio 100 has already identified the first production: “Hallo Radio 2!”, developed with VRT’s Radio 2, is scheduled to premiere on 21 March 2027. Before then, the company must complete the venue design, construction and operational preparations while meeting the permit requirements. The main questions now are whether an appeal will be lodged, when construction will start, what the project will cost and whether ticket demand can support a 1,544-seat theatre without recreating the cost pressures that ended the Puurs chapter.