It is not only a pity for the many construction clubs in the region that there will be no parade through the carnival in the coming days. Fire-breather Desiree Breuer (30) from Sint Willebrord is also disappointed, now that she can’t flame in the candlelight procession of Standdaarbuiten on Saturday evening for the second year in a row.
The spark jumped at Desiree when she saw a group of daredevils with flaming attributes in a park in Breda in 2018. “They asked me if I wanted to try something. The sneaky pyromaniac in me liked that.”
She was immediately sold. “It does something special to me. During the day I’m a pretty reserved stay-at-home mom. A little shy even. But once I put on that suit… Then I can honestly take on the whole world.”
Since then, Desiree has performed at events across the country. From weddings to summer evenings in Toverland amusement park. And now she has company. “I have now also lit my husband. Figuratively then. He is now just as passionate as I am.”
Despite all those performances in the most special places, one thing was still on her list: “A carnival parade. As a child I always wanted to participate, but that never happened.” Desiree did not have to hesitate for long, when two years ago she was asked by BC De MarkBuilders to participate in the special parade of Standdaarbuiten. There the colorful procession moves through the streets in the evening, decorated with thousands of lights.
“The theme of their car that year was a thousand and one nights and they were looking for something special.” Well, then you’ve come to the right place at the fire breather. Still, it was still exciting to see if it could all go ahead. “That evening there was quite a bit of wind. And then with all that audience on the side…”
In the end, the penny fell in the right direction. “On certain parts of the route there was a lot less wind. Then my husband, who was also walking along, made sure that the torch was already burning. He then quickly gave it to me, along with the bottle full of fuel. And then it was blown into flames. “
People who were there that night will remember the fiery antics. “You saw how enthusiastic everyone was. And I think it was also a nice image for the camera crews.” All in all, it was such a success that a repeat is definitely on the way. “I really hope to be there again next year.”