Crate digging has always been part patience, part instinct. No staff picks pointing you in the right direction, no prices hinting at what might be valuable, and no one deciding what's worth taking home. Just the record in your hands and the guess you're about to make about it.

For this special digging experience, VinylFarm.EU brings in records that haven't been picked over or sorted yet. Book a timeslot (€5), spend ten minutes digging, and take one LP home, for free. What you find might be a record you've spent years hunting or something you'd never have picked off a shelf but can't stop turning over. Every discovery starts the same way: one sleeve at a time. Expect used vinyl, not perfect condition, but packed with forgotten treasures and incredible titles.

Throughout the afternoon, a DJ will be spinning records that surface from the crates, turning the day's discoveries into the soundtrack of the room.

About VinylFarm.EU
Tucked away in Oirschot, in the Dutch province of North Brabant, VinylFarm.EU is a second-hand vinyl and CD operation on a truly enormous scale. Part record warehouse, part Discogs seller, they're driven by a single mission: to bring forgotten records back into circulation and into the hands of listeners who'll love them.

Their inventory runs to more than a million records and CDs spread across Europe, with additional stock shipped in from the United States, so VinylFarm.EU is home to what may well be the world's largest stock of second-hand vinyl.

Behind it all is one ambitious, slightly obsessive project: to catalogue every last record on Discogs over the course of roughly ten years, adding at least 1,300 new items every single day, weekends and holidays included. It's a labour of love aimed at giving overlooked music a second life, one crate at a time.

Make a day of it

There's plenty happening around PHIL on Saturday. Visit the Repair Café with a record player or piece of audio equipment that could use some care, browse vintage hi-fi components at Small Parts Dronten, or keep an eye on the day programme for listening sessions taking place throughout the venue.

Once you've had your turn at the crates, head into the city centre and continue your day around the Grote Markt, where the festival spills out into Haarlem with more music, vinyl and concerts and DJ-sets within walking distance.

Book your timeslot

Tickets and timeslots are available via Stager. Weekend Pass holders can reserve their slot directly through their pass Space is limited, so don't wait too long.

Vinyl Farm Crate Digging Challenge

Date: Saturday 3 October
Time: 12:00 – 17:00
Place: PHIL Foyer

Tickets: €5 available here
A maximum of 1 timeslot per visitor