“These flares are no longer allowed in the Netherlands, but this is allowed by me. It’s once a year. They should just turn a blind eye to that,” says a flare enthusiast from Coevorden.
A fellow villager of his loads the entire trunk at Posten Börse. Three children and another father watch contentedly. “This is something every year. You should celebrate being together, I think,” says father. “We are aware of the rules: no flares and no firecrackers. There are a few firecrackers in there. I am very honest about that.” Whether the trunk has more than 25 kilos of fireworks. “We’re just under it: I think it’s about 24.8,” he winks with a laugh.