And although the clubs were allowed to taste the ‘old normal’ last week with a closing time of 01.00, this weekend the night can really be enjoyed as usual. The big cities are ready.
After no less than 102 weeks, the clubs and discos will be completely removed from the coronaslot this weekend. The nightlife can open its doors again without any form of restrictions. “A great relief,” says Amsterdam night mayor Ramon de Lima.
protest action
Two weeks ago in the capital, during the demonstrative action De Nacht Staat Op, people already got a taste of the relaxation. Clubs then opened their doors en masse, to draw attention to their hopeless situation.
De Lima thinks that the protest action has shaken up The Hague politically. “I don’t know if it actually influenced the decision to relax, but I think we have fueled the conversation about the desperate situation of nightlife.”
The Hague did not participate in De Nacht Staat Op. This weekend, the club doors will open again for the first time in the city center of The Hague after two years of lockdown. While the carnival erupts under the Moerdijk Bridge, The Hague’s nightlife is miraculously ready for… Christmas! In the famous Westwood nightclub they are getting ready for ‘the most wonderful time of the year’. Owner Vincent Marshall explains: “We decorated the place beautifully in December and then came the lockdown. We all then decided to leave it hanging and then celebrate Christmas the moment we were allowed to open again. So that’s now.”
Impact Ukraine
The Hague night mayor Pat Smith has mixed feelings. “I am genuinely concerned about the situation in Ukraine. And as happy as I was that everything would be back to normal, this really does have an effect on my mood.”
The flag is also raised in Utrecht. “Delicious! You can finally be hospitable again.” That is the first reaction of Marie-Christine van der Meer of Werkspoorcafé de Leckere. “Last week you saw people standing at the bar and only then you realize how we missed that.”
Reservations have been pouring in for the past week. “Everyone has such a sense and from now on we no longer have any guidelines at all. We are open until it’s fun. There is no rush anymore, people can come in late and places are no longer necessary. You notice the enormous need there is.”
‘Healthy tension’
Jos de Winter of the famous café Dikke Dries on the Oudkerkhof feels ‘a healthy tension’. “It will finally be the same as before. Despite the spring break, I was able to arrange sufficient staff, so I am well prepared.”