Zomergasten

Zomergasten ("Summer guests", an allusion to migratory birds) was a Dutch television programme broadcast each summer by VPRO on NPO 2. The programme was first aired in 1988. Each episode takes up an entire Sunday evening. It consists of an in-depth studio interview, typically three hours long, with a notable Dutch, Belgian or other Dutch-speaking foreigner, interspersed with cinema or television footage selected by the guest, which is subsequently discussed. Guests include writers, scientists, television personalities, politicians or business people. After the interview is finished, a movie selected by the guest is broadcast on the same channel. Zomergasten has become one of the signature programmes of Dutch public television. VPRO has organized live public screenings of Zomergasten in arthouse cinemas. In 2017, several venues in Amsterdam organised public screenings of the Zomergasten edition featuring Amsterdam mayor Eberhard van der Laan. In December 2025, broadcaster VPRO announced that the 39th season in 2026 will be the last, due to cutbacks in the NPO budget. In April 2026, Arjen Lubach announced that Janine Abbring would return as host for the final season. She previously hosted from 2017 until 2022 and one episode in 2024.