Snack bar Frieda
The collective Snackbar Frieda has been nominated for the Dolf Henkes Prize 2026 for their direct and practical form of art and activism. In a squatted building in Rotterdam-West, they fry fresh fries weekly using potatoes that farmers leave lying in the fields after their harvest. It is precisely because of their so-called unprofessional slow snack bar that an open meeting place has emerged in the neighborhood. Frieda explores how food, care, and community can be organized outside of a financial profit logic.
Since their start in February 2025, neighbors and interested parties can pick up fries on a donation basis every Friday between 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM at Snackbar Frieda at Adrianaplein/Bajonetstraat.
Come and visit us!
On Friday, April 10, Snackbar Frieda is organizing a DIY market at Adrianaplein in the Oude Westen. This market addresses the shortcomings of the food system by making inventive use of its leftovers. Everyone – people from the neighborhood or further afield – can come and pick up free fruits and vegetables that have been wrongly discarded. Together, we will clean the products and teach you various preservation methods.
In parallel, they are working on a mini-documentary in which Snackbar Frieda wants to share, based on self-reflection, what they have learned in practice about self-organization, solidarity, and working without money. The screening of the documentary will take place later this year.
We quote Snackbar Frieda:
“In Snackbar Frieda, we use the leftovers that society creates to expose the contradictions of this capitalist system. How is it possible that so much food goes to waste while people cannot afford groceries? How can it be more profitable to destroy vast amounts of food than to consume it?
We do not blame any of the workers in the food supply chain, from those in local marketplaces to those exploited while working the land across the world. Instead, we criticize those who profit from maintaining this destructive system, which harms people, non-human animals, and the planet.
We also want to speak to consumers. Can we rethink what we consider usable food? In most cases, the food that is thrown away is still perfectly good – removing a small bruise leaves an entirely edible vegetable. But our perceptions are shaped by the aesthetic standards imposed by supermarkets, which largely control how we access food.
Moreover, in their effort to keep shelves constantly full, they systematically over-purchase, leading to large amounts being discarded.
In Snackbar Frieda, we experiment with alternative food (re)distributions based on solidarity and self-organization. We want to inspire others to take initiative for themselves and their neighbors.
There is an abundance of free food, and we can share tips and tricks so that more people can make use of this resource!
On April 10, from 12:30 to 18:00 (or until the food runs out), we will set up a market at the Adrianaplein in Oude Westen, where everyone is welcome to take food for free. At 18:00, we will cook together using whatever remains, followed by a screening of the film The Gleaners and I by Agnès Varda.”
Frieda Free Market
Adrianaplein Old West
Friday 10th of April
From 12.30 until 18.00 (or until the food runs out) From 18.00 onwards Collective dinner and film screening The Gleaners and I
