For many Weespers it is the highlight of the year: the Sluis- en Bruggenfeest. The festival will be held for the 44th time in the coming days, but it did not go without a fight this year. Since the merger with Amsterdam, the festival has to meet much stricter requirements.
“Amsterdam’s rules are enormous and very detailed. And we as volunteers can’t do much with that,” said chairman Hans Leemans of Stichting Volksfeesten Weesp. “We also said: if we want to keep organizing this party, we need help from professionals. So this year we are hiring security, first aid and traffic controllers.”
Pub owner Pieter Kors can relate to this. The roof that he had every year in front of his café was no longer allowed by the municipality. “The rules had changed, the construction manual was not good. As a result, I had to install a different roof. It is very professional, although the others were too, but this one is even more so. This roof is allowed, but that also costs me twice as much money.”
Significantly increased legal fees, but also more subsidy
In addition, the fees for the party have been significantly increased from 700 euros to more than 12,000 euros. Shops in the area may also sell a maximum of one alcoholic drink per person and the bars must close at the same time as the end of the party. The measures stem from a ‘critical report’ that appeared after last year’s evaluation.
On the other hand, the organization has never received so much subsidy and that the party has been labeled by mayor Femke Halsema as of ‘high social importance’. “That means that we can tap until 1 am, that means that we have music outside until 12 pm and that the music can be a bit louder,” says Kors.
“Same predicate as Pride and King’s Day”
Glunderend: “There are currently two other events in Amsterdam that have this (high social importance, ed.): Pride and King’s Day. And I am very proud that, as a small town, we have such a predicate got.”