The party evening during Thursday Meppeldagen will be shorter. Where the Meppeldag lasted until 1 am in previous editions, the parties now stop at 9 pm. Safety is the main reason for this. “We are not going to hire 500 security guards. That is not possible at all,” says Gino Spijkerman of Meppel Event Desk.
Thursday Meppeldag is one of the biggest events in Drenthe. Before the corona crisis, there were six Meppel days every summer. The program lasted from 9 a.m. to midnight. Sometimes ten thousand visitors came to each edition. The evening programming was especially popular. The fact that this part of all has been deleted hit Meppelers like a bomb. “The reactions were particularly intense on Facebook,” noted Anneke Neef, chairman of the Meppeldag foundation. “It is also a bit of a challenge for a few volunteers. But unfortunately there is no other option, according to the advice we received from Meppel Event Desk.”
She is referring to the Meppel Event Desk, which coordinates events on behalf of the municipality. “Meppeldag at night is different than during the day, after 9 p.m. more security is involved,” says Gino Spijkerman. “You don’t want to hire 500 security guards. And that is also very complicated financially. We told the foundation that the party can last until 1 a.m., but that they had to take into account so many security guards.”
It is not just about security guards, but also the deployment of the police. By stopping the party at 9 p.m., the police only need to deploy one shift of officers. “That makes it more manageable for everyone,” says Spijkersman.
Due to the new programming, the event will no longer be interrupted by a break. “We used to have a real gap between the daytime programming and the evening. It became quiet between 5 pm and 9 pm, we now prevent that.”
Mayor Richard Korteland van Meppel argues that the event is becoming less fun. He praised the new interpretation. “There is a fantastic programming with all kinds of beautiful artists.”
The importance of the Meppel Days is not unknown to Korteland. “This is a huge event, which the residents enjoy very much. But safety is one thing, and we have to pay attention to that. The party will continue after 9 p.m., but then inside the bars.”