At 11 o’clock only Lotjonslos was walking around the Grote Markt, on the way to café De Beiaard. Prince Sjalen was also there to open his favorite café Cosa Nostra. Shortly after noon there was some panic among the early birds. “I expected that there would be more of us”, said Lotjonslos, the oldest carnival group in the city.
However, between 3 and 4 p.m. the atmosphere had completely changed. The Grote Markt was suddenly full of carnivalists, supplemented by spectators. Thanks to a joke by De Loge, who had announced that they would land with a parachute on the Grote Markt at 3.30 pm, there was suddenly a crowd of people. “Is there a parachute or not?” a carnivalist wondered. A little later a fanfare with carnivalists in the costume of De Loge came from the direction of Vredeplein. Mission accomplished, everyone on the wrong track, but a pleasant festive atmosphere.
Tineke Stevens of cafe Den Heiligen Gheest was over the moon. “I think it is fantastic. All those happy faces. It’s the max. It gives me adrenaline. This is Oilsjters”, says Tineke. Prince Candidate Yordi Ringoir was not absent from the party. “And they all came about spontaneously,” he says. “It says a lot. People are looking forward to it and carnival is sorely missed”, Yordi realizes.
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