As of today, they are allowed again and the Santpoorters are looking forward to it: the Village Festival is back after three years. The fair looks inviting and sun-drenched, the many tents in the center announcing the consumption of beer have been set up; Santpoort is ready.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” says Bas Kuntz, chairman of the Harddraverij Association Santpoort and the uncrowned king of the village festival. “I am looking forward to it because we have barely been able to do anything because of corona.”
With ‘barely’ he refers, among other things, to the harness race that was held last year in Emmeloord, renamed Santpoort-Oost for the occasion. The images of that race show a vast trotting track with hardly any audience. A bus full from Santpoort was there, those who stayed at home followed the race via an internet connection. Surrogate, in short. But hey, you have to do something.
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Trottery Santpoort 1931 – NH Nieuws
Fortunately, everything is back to normal this year. On Thursday you will be able to walk over the heads in the Hoofdstraat. “For many people it is a reunion,” says village historian Guus Hartendorf. “There are even people who have lived on the other side of the world for years, but come back to Santpoort especially for the trotting.” The event, which took place in 1752, is now on the list of intangible cultural heritage. “That makes it clear how important the trotting is,” says Hartendorf.
Interland Netherlands-Belgium is the first for Santpoort
Although the short track racing is based on an age-old tradition, there is still something new: eight horses from Belgium appear at the start. This is the first time in history that there is an international match. Bas Kuntz: “The derby of the low countries. I am proud of this poster.”