Paradiso R&D
Paradiso R&D is Paradiso’s talent development branch and focuses on professionalizing “enablers”: organizers and initiators of concert series, club nights, and cultural events within pop and nightlife culture. Paradiso R&D bridges the gap between enablers in the city and the experience and expertise of Paradiso as a professional venue operator.
Through our approach, we give enablers the tools to organize programs and develop a sustainable organization.
With guidance from Paradiso R&D, now-renowned cultural organizations such as Summer Dance Forever, Marmoucha, Sonic Acts, Pera, en Super-Sonic Jazz have emerged since 2008.
Would you like to organize an event at Paradiso yourself? Sign up for DIP.
+Paradiso
+Paradiso is an intensive year-long program for emerging cultural organizations that are ready to take the next step in scaling up, organizational development, and establishing a sustainable funding mix.
Each year, Paradiso, in collaboration with Art-up, guides a group of cultural innovators in further developing their programs, organizations, and cultural entrepreneurship. Key focus areas include formulating a clear artistic vision and positioning within the cultural field; establishing a clear picture of long-term activities and planning; developing a sustainable cultural practice, including a viable funding model; and connecting with a cultural network for knowledge sharing and peer support.
+Paradiso 'Class of 2025'
The first cohort of +Paradiso launched in 2025 with five participants: Assemble, Goliath, Knits & Notes, Platform Voor Verzet, and Tones.
Assemble
ASSEMBLE is a community of people of color who are redefining what it means to be a nerd. They organize events—similar to Comic-Con but on a smaller scale—that bring hip-hop and geek/nerd culture together. At ASSEMBLE, you can see, experience, and get involved: there are discussions with creators and fans, gaming areas, and performances by hip-hop and rap collectives and DJs.
Goliath
Music is full of stories that haven’t been told yet. Stories that provide context, that connect people, and that go deeper than a single performance.
Goliath organizes events, festivals, and concerts where these stories come to life.
Goliath creates space for artistic freedom and guides artists from dream to performance—from funding to production—so they can tell their stories without restrictions. In addition, Goliath builds bridges between cultures. Through cultural exchange projects, it fosters encounters, dialogue, and new forms of collaboration.
Knits and Notes
Crafting is trendy. What was long viewed as something nostalgic or domestic has made a strong comeback in recent years among a new generation of creators. Knitting, crocheting, embroidery, and textile art are visible in online culture, music venues, fashion, museums, and public spaces. This new wave of crafters connects craftsmanship to identity, feminism, sustainability, and self-expression. Crafting is once again becoming a collective, social, and cultural practice. Knits & Notes emerged from this movement.
Knits & Notes connects craft with music, art, and performance, creating spaces where people come not only to make something, but above all to be together. What began as a small-scale initiative has grown into a community-driven organization where creators, music lovers, and crafters come together. No traditional workshops and no rigid formats, but cultural moments centered on creating, exploring, and finding inspiration together.
Platform for Resistance
The Platform for Resistance offers a path to action for young people who feel paralyzed by a sense of powerlessness about the state of our world.
Through artistic expression and imagination, Het Pévévé demonstrates that resisting all the misery does indeed make sense. Fighting for a better society works, and resistance is an essential part of that. Grounded in historical, social scientific, and philosophical perspectives, Het Pévévé presents moments for inspiration, reflection, action, and enjoyment centered on resistance.
Tones
Born out of a love for hip-hop, Tones has grown into Paradiso’s platform for groundbreaking music. Tones is all about concerts by artists who create hip-hop, R&B, Afro, Latin, reggae, and related genres. Sometimes innovative, sometimes familiar, but always curated within a single, boundary-less platform.
Tones gives artists a stage and supports them at every stage of their careers. Tones goes beyond just programming, offering inspiring and engaging content in the form of interviews, deep dives, podcasts, and radio.
