You have crazy, crazier and craziest. But in Prinsenbeek they are the craziest when it comes to carnival. In several places in Brabant, parades are overtaken after the corona crisis, but in Boemeldock they celebrate carnival in June. The fun party started on Thursday and will not end until Tuesday evening.
Anyone who enters Prinsenbeek from Breda via the large roundabout will immediately see what this weekend is all about. The life-size carnival doll speaks volumes, because the whole of Boemeldonck will be in the polonaise for the next few days.
“My colleagues from Amsterdam think I’m crazy,” says Robbert Janssen, secretary of the carnival association BAK from Prinsenbeek. “But they don’t understand carnival and what we’re doing now, certainly not.”
But also in Brabant some people will frown. “We will be running a complete carnival program in the coming days,” continues de Boemeldoncker. “We decided that after the parade was canceled in February due to the corona crisis. But we didn’t think organizing a parade in June was good enough. You cannot celebrate carnival half-baked. There must be a run-up to get the feeling. we postponed everything for a few months.”
“People are now buying a Hawaiian blouse instead of a fur coat.”
That decision is well received in Prinsenbeek. For example, the Poppelaars garden center in nearby Haagse Beemden opened a separate pop-up carnival department three weeks ago. “We would like to be there for people who want an extra outfit or accessory,” says Amy Poppelaars. “It’s really going to be summer carnival, because people are now buying a Hawaiian blouse instead of a fur coat.”
‘You itch as usual’, is the carnival motto this time in Boemeldonck. And this kite certainly appears to be going for the big parade. At least 30,000 partygoers are expected on Sunday at the showpiece of the Prinsenbeek carnival.
“These numbers are indeed as usual,” says Robbert Janssen. “And that while people from outside have to buy a ticket from the municipality this time. Carnival will start a bit awkward this time, but I think it will go off fairly quickly.”
ALSO READ: Carnival in the summer anyway: Prinsenbeek moves the parades.