Just a few more nights of sleep and then it’s that time again: the 67th edition of the flower parade in Eelde. The opening will take place this Saturday and it will be different this year. Because not a flower queen, but a drag queen opens at the parade week.
The next edition of the parade is on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 September. Fifteen floats will be presented as usual. There is also a parade with well-known bands and advertising objects decorated with flowers. This year’s theme is ‘Globettrotters’
New this year is the opening on Saturday 26 August. No flower queen elections this year, but one drag show. And the winner, who opens the week. “We thought the queen was no longer of this time, so we thought of something more appropriate to this time. That’s how we came to the program Make Up Your Mind”, says board member Hans Langhout. In that program, celebrities are transformed into drag queens and a panel has to guess who is hidden behind the characters.
That is why ten well-known people from the village will be on stage as drag on Saturday evening. “Then we have eight acts and the audience, together with a jury, determine who the winner is. And that winner opens the parade week in a playful way,” says a proud Langhout.
And so far it seems to have been a successful campaign, says Langhout. Because many villagers are curious. “A lot of people come to you to ask if you can’t give away one name, but we don’t. And in addition, more than 400 tickets have already been sold, while other years we had fewer people. So it’s going well so far audience.”
Another news aspect this year is that the tractors are making way for old-timers. That’s because tractors nowadays have to have a license plate. Old-timers have a license plate, which is why it was chosen. And special is: there is an old-timer among them that also rode during the first edition of the parade.
There will also be another parade in 2024. And the theme is already known. Next year, the builders will get to work on ‘Children’s World’.
The parade of the 67th flower parade can be seen live on RTV Drenthe on Saturday 2 September from 14:30.