On this cold but sunny Boxing Day, skating enthusiasts can indulge themselves. The fact that Boxing Day is ideal for ice cream fun is evident at IJsfestijn Steenbergen, where families arrive early. Those who don’t feel like the hustle and bustle at the skating rink can have their own party: for example, Chris Kapitein in Klundert made an ice floor himself that the grandchildren can slide across to their heart’s content.
Chairman Kees de Bruin sees the Ice Festival growing steadily every year. This ninth edition will see around seven thousand visitors from the area in five weeks. The celebrations are especially popular on Boxing Day: “We are closed on Christmas Day, but we see that many families put tickets for the track under the Christmas tree, and they eagerly use them the next day.”
“We already do enough eating and lounging these days, time for some exercise.”
Due to the winter cold, the cooler didn’t even have to be turned on last night. De Bruin had to swallow when he arrived this morning: “The pipes were frozen,” he says with a grin. He shrugs: “Oh, that’s part of it, it’s winter. Most of it has now thawed and almost everything is running as it should again.”
The visitors didn’t notice it at all. Ivo Kalis from Oudenbosch is on the ice with his children. His son Justin is wearing an ice hockey helmet and beaming. “Skating is really fun,” he says enthusiastically. “Especially the slipping and sliding.” They haven’t done much skating themselves yet, but they have been in the stands with the Tilburg Trappers since they were about 9 months old, says father Ivo proudly.
Ilona van Brandwijk and her daughter Mila also go around laughing. Ilona is wearing a Christmas sweater, because it is Christmas after all. “But during Christmas you secretly spend a lot of time indoors, and of course there is plenty of food. It’s nice to get out during the day and get some exercise.” So it’s a good change before they sit down to Christmas dinner again tonight.
“Children always want to get on the natural ice too early, they can’t fall through anywhere here.”
There is also plenty of ice fun in Klundert. The Kapitein family has had its own tradition for about seven years. “If it freezes enough, I will build my own ice rink, right here on the tiles in the backyard,” says grandpa Chris proudly. He does this by continuously spraying layers of water on the tiles in the cold evenings. “They don’t absorb water, so they can freeze nicely,” he says. It was a cold job, but the skating children made up for a lot.
He no longer skates himself. At his age he is afraid of falling. The grandchildren, on the other hand, love it. Sofie especially enjoys the peace and quiet. “A skating rink in your backyard is very nice. No crowds and still fun.” Her friends live a little further away, so this is really something for the family. “And let’s be honest,” she says with a laugh, “skating in crowds is more difficult.”
Grandma Petua loves that the children can skate so safely. She is always afraid that they will collapse on natural ice. “They always want to get up a little too early, and I find that scary. Now they can also get off the couch, but just enjoy being in the garden,” she says.