The cotton candy is spun, the typical shouts pop out of the speakers and the visitors are swung in all directions. The largest fair in the Benelux has started again, the one in Tilburg. The official starting signal was given on Friday evening, but the enthusiasts could already make the first rides in the afternoon.
There is one last wipe over the windows of the cash registers and then the gates of the attractions open. Some have been waiting for that for hours on Friday afternoon. “We are here for the first time and thought it started at noon. So we were extra early,” says a boy who comes out of a rough ride with his brother.
A little further on, a mother and her two children try to grab a cuddly toy. “It’s not easy. It’s quite tricky. He grabs it, it wobbles, but it won’t let go.” They too couldn’t wait for the fair to start. “We always live up to it,” says Stefanie Dirks. “We also never go on holiday during the Tilburg fair.”
There are 210 attractions this year. And that will attract about one and a half million visitors in the next ten days. That grandeur is what most visitors do it for. “There is something to see everywhere and that makes it very cool. I visit every year,” says Tom Paans. Frans and Lies van Poppel live near the fair and therefore cannot stay away. “But we just walk around and look at the attractions. We’re not going anywhere.”
You will no longer see animal attractions such as the Mouse City and pony riding this year for the first time. The city council has put a stop to that, because of animal welfare. In addition, the fair is slowly but surely turning into a festival. With more street theater and a puppet show, the organization hopes to attract a larger audience, in addition to the daredevils who step into the fast rides.