Old-fashioned pressure on King’s Day, is that okay? ‘North Holland young people are notorious’

What makes it so difficult to manage the crowds during King’s Day? Especially the busy places without fencing or ticket sales in advance, Syan Schaap knows. “That, in combination with a large amount of alcohol and an exuberant crowd, makes it really a challenge in some cities.” Schaap is director and founder of the Event Safety Institute. He often advises municipalities and security regions on event policy and Crowd Management.

Anti-rules

Schaap expects that about 80 percent of King’s Day celebrations will behave the same as before the pandemic. The remaining 20 percent can be divided into three different groups: “People who have always found it difficult to behave, people who will be extra careful because they are still vulnerable and then there is a new third group,” explains Schaap . “These people have become very anti-rules because of corona and all the protests around it.”

This new group has become much more prominent after two years of various corona demonstrations. “You will also see that at events”, Schaap suspects. For example, this group does not want to be searched or listen to the police. “But in the crowd it will be individuals.”

Hot spots

The hotspots will mainly be in Amsterdam, Alkmaar and Haarlem, Schaap suspects. “In Alkmaar, for example, the Orange King’s Day festival takes place not trough. So what are those young people going to do now? You have to take all that into account.”

Normally, festival organizers submit permit applications well in advance. That already gives an idea of ​​the possible busy hotspots. But the uncertainty as to whether King’s Day could go ahead at all this year meant that many permits were only granted later. “That entails risks, because then you don’t have a good idea in advance,” explains Schaap.

Drunk young people are the most difficult to manage, says Schaap. “And North Holland youngsters are completely notorious in terms of imbibing and the behavior they display.”

What if it goes wrong?

In the busy cities, the risks will mainly lie in the squares/parties without ticket sales and the stations. “If there are no ticket sales, it is actually very difficult to regulate how many people there are in such a square,” says Eric Kant. Kant owns the company Phase01, which specializes in crowd management. Furthermore, according to Kant, you should always take into account an attack, rapidly emerging storms or empty festivals whose visitors come en masse into your center† “But a chip shop can also catch fire on a busy square.”

The municipality must take measures well in advance and draw up a management plan. “You have to work preventively, 90 percent is in the preparation,” says Kant. According to Kant, a good example of crowd management consists of three aspects. Design, information and management. “Design: what does my site look like and how many people can use it as much as possible. Information: How can you communicate effectively with the public. Management: How do we manage the visitor flows? and the maximum visitor numbers actively manage.”

No matter how well the preparations are put together, the chance that things will go wrong is always present. “And then it is important to communicate clearly with the public,” says Schaap. “But to do that effectively, it’s helpful to bond with the audience early on.” If you as a municipality are present all day through city marketing, LED screens or hosts, the public will also listen better when things go wrong.

Expert Kant is confident that everything will be fine this King’s Day, but still has advice for all municipalities: “Don’t take any risks, and take an expert in hand.”