Amsterdam is celebrating its 750th anniversary with a unique festival, “Op de Ring,” featuring a temporary forest of 750 large and 7,500 small trees planted on a section of the A10 ring road. The festival, which takes place on the longest day of the year, includes concerts, a rave, a picnic, and even weddings, drawing over 200,000 attendees.

The temporary forest offers visitors a welcome respite from the heat, with the trees providing shade and lowering the perceived temperature. Researchers estimate that trees can lower the temperature by up to 15 degrees. Visitors can relax, take photos, and enjoy the greenery, which includes clover, poppies, and cornflowers.

The trees, a gift from foundations and companies, will be temporarily housed at a “tree camping” before being permanently planted throughout the city in November. This initiative is also beneficial for biodiversity, attracting bees and other insects.

Landscape architect Bruno Doedens, the mastermind behind the forest, emphasized the importance of a relaxed arrangement, avoiding a nursery-like appearance. He hopes the project will promote a shift in perspective, encouraging people to live in greater harmony with nature.

Festival organizers adjusted the program due to the heat, with asphalt temperatures potentially reaching 50 degrees. Despite this, the event continues, and the temporary forest is seen as a successful demonstration of the positive impact of greenery in urban environments.

Doedens hopes the trees will move through the city like a “green army” before being permanently planted, similar to a previous project in Leeuwarden. Discussions with the municipality are ongoing, but Doedens believes the opportunity to move the trees through the city is too good to miss.