The municipality of Den Bosch and De Oeteldonksche Club want to get rid of the ‘festival atmosphere’ that has emerged in Oeteldonk during carnival in recent years. Carnival must once again become the traditional folk festival of solidarity. “If Prince Amadeiro had wanted to hear après-ski music, he would have gone skiing,” emphasizes the Prime Minister of De Oeteldonksche Club.
“After corona, we have seen that carnival has become more of a festival and we want to get rid of that,” says Mayor Mikkers of Den Bosch. The municipality and the Den Bosch carnival association have noticed that the city has become increasingly busy during carnival in recent years.
Last Carnival it was so busy at times that the municipality called on people early in the afternoon not to come to the city center and several areas were closed off. By now making it clear what carnival in Oeteldonk really stands for, the municipality hopes that visitors looking for a ‘normal party’ will ignore the city.
Numerous influences creep into the city
Jeroen Dona, Minister-President of De Oeteldonksche Club, sees many influences that in his view are too far removed from the traditional carnival creeping into the city: “We want to prevent the festivalization of carnival. It is a popular festival that you celebrate on the street with Oeteldonk music. If we all put on that smock, we are all equal.”
According to him and Mikkers, carnival revelers remain more than welcome in the city, provided they adhere to the applicable carnival rules of Oeteldonk. “If you are looking for something else, you can also stay on the train for one station longer.”
Visitors who want to come to Den Bosch without a smock or carnival jacket don’t have to worry yet. According to Dona, there will be no signs at the station with the message ‘banana packs prohibited’. “But you don’t come to Oeteldonk in a banana suit, I think everyone knows that by now,” he says hopefully.
Stage on the Market
One of the matters that the municipality and De Oeteldonksche Club want to put on the agenda is to determine on which day carnival starts. What are the official carnival days? Now there are numerous unofficial carnival activities on the days before carnival. People want to get rid of that.
There are also plans to discontinue the large stage on the Markt. This attracts a large audience with numerous artists. ‘Less festival and more Oeteldonk atmosphere on the street, with fewer fences’, can be read in the proposals from the municipality and De Oeteldonksche Club.
“The festival of farmers and durskes is what we want to celebrate,” Dona summarizes the plans. “If Prince Amadeiro had wanted to hear apres-ski music, he would have gone skiing.” Mikkers wholeheartedly agrees with him: “If people are looking for a festival, après-ski or house music, they do not belong in Oeteldonk.”
