The Hague, city centre. Herenstraat to be exact:

It’s Friday night, about 12:30am when multiple young adults are leaving a bar. They are having a good time. one of them, visibly tipsy hollers at a joke, the others join in. While the echos are travelling down Herenstraat, a window on second floor is closed rather aggressively.

 

This is a phenomenon many European cities have in common. Nightlife is a constant nuisance to residents living in areas known for their nightlife.

What makes Herenstraat different is what follows next. Installed microphones registered a spike in noise, activating one of the two projectors, beaming a short message onto the ground:

English translation:

Shush

People live here

Thanks for keeping it quiet

 

The group seems surprised, and continues strolling down the street in a quieter manner.

This construction, multiple microphones and two strong projectors, are part of a temporary trial project aimed at reducing nightly street noise without imposing harsher measures on nighttime venues and visitors.

 

While other European cities have traditionally tried to curb nighttime noise with more punitive measures like curfews, tying licensing conditions to sound levels, and enforcement through police and fines, In Herenstraat, the Hague is experimenting with a promising idea first introduced in Leuven, Belgium. There, a similar project using noise sensors and adapting public lighting, next to light projections and signs had started in

2021 and resulted in cutting sound peaks of over 70dB at night by 30%.

On paper, these result look promising, so should European cities finally adapt to more subtle ways of prompting partygoers to be quiet?

Residents of Herenstraat have their very own opinions on the project:

 

“I’ve been living in that apartment for four years.

Zero. Zero difference, that is why I just moved.”

Mark

“Personally, I think when people are screaming really loud on the street, they’re quite drunk. And I don’t think they’re going to read a message and be like, oh, for the neighbours, I have to be quiet.”

-Fransje

“I actually didn’t even know that they had them, to be honest.”

-Haley (works in one of the bars of Herenstraat)

Official numbers for this project are not available yet, the council has communicated this trial will continue into march 2027.

It therefore remains to be seen wether this project has any impact at all.

And wether this could offer European cities a less punitive way of dealing with nighttime noise.

 

The Hague council did not answer for a comment at the time of publication.

(Moritz Kleinalstede, Sep 18th 2026)