Learn Hardcore Dutch: De band speelt vanavond in het park. - The band is playing in the park tonight.

Most nouns are common, so they use de.
A smaller set is neuter, so it uses het.
Here, band is common → de band, while park is neuter → het park.

Why is spelen conjugated as speelt here?

The subject de band is third person singular. In the present tense Dutch adds -t for third person singular:

ik speel
jij speelt
hij/zij/het speelt
wij/jullie/zij spelen
So de band speelt is the correct form.

Can we use a different verb than spelen to talk about a band’s performance?

Yes. Common alternatives are:
• optreden (to perform): “De band treedt vanavond in het park op.”
• performen (informal from English “to perform”): “De band performt vanavond in het park.”
However, spelen remains the neutral, most widely used term for “play/perform music.”

Why does the time expression vanavond come before the place expression in het park?

Dutch generally orders sentence elements as Time – Manner – Place after the verb. In this case there’s no manner, so we get:
Subject (S) – Verb (V) – Time – Place
De band (S) speelt (V) vanavond (Time) in het park (Place).

Can we start the sentence with vanavond instead?

Yes. Dutch is a verb-second (V2) language. If you put vanavond first, the finite verb stays in second position, and the subject follows:
Vanavond speelt de band in het park.

Why is vanavond written as one word, not van avond?

vanavond is a fixed compound adverb meaning “this evening.” Dutch writes it as a single word. Splitting it into van avond would be incorrect.

Why is the preposition in used here, not op?

Location prepositions in Dutch depend on the type of space:

in for enclosed or bounded areas and open spaces like parks: in het park, in de tuin.
op for surfaces or specified sites: op het dak, op het strand.

Can I use a diminutive and say het parkje?

Absolutely. By adding the diminutive -je you get het parkje, meaning “the small park.”
You’d then say:
De band speelt vanavond in het parkje.