The Groningen city council considers the Wijnloop in Haren to be a pleasant event, but there are concerns about alcohol consumption. Mayor Koen Schuiling mainly fears setting a precedent. ‘If I allow it in Haren, I must allow it everywhere.’
The future of the Wijnloop in Haren is in the hands of Groningen Mayor Koen Schuiling. He has the authority to decide whether or not to allow the event, which is held twice a year in the center of Haren, to continue. But Schuiling is reluctant, despite the fact that he has sympathy for the Wijnloop.
During the Wine Run, participants go from store to store with a glass of wine in hand and can taste a wine everywhere. This way they get to know shops that they would probably have passed by before. It costs entrepreneurs in Haren virtually nothing and that is why they all participate, because it generates potential new customers. It benefits them anyway.
Looking for a different form
The Wijnloop in Haren was created during the corona pandemic. “That was a difficult time for entrepreneurs,” says Schuiling. “We then gave the green light for the Wijnloop to accommodate entrepreneurs. However, they like the Wijnloop in Haren so much that they want to continue it.”
The corona pandemic is no longer an argument. Schuiling fears that if he now allows the Wijnloop in Haren – no matter how sympathetic – he will have to do the same if a request comes from Paddepoel, the Herestraat or from retailers in Ten Boer. He is also afraid that catering entrepreneurs will become agitated if retailers are also allowed to serve alcohol. And he believes that in general too much alcohol is consumed.
Schuiling indicates that he is in discussions with the organization of the Wijnloop in Haren, but that he is looking for a different form. “We have to continue with that and we try to make something beautiful out of it.”
It is not known what that other form should look like. The municipality had previously suggested a wine tasting, but the entrepreneurs are not interested in that. After all, it’s not about wine. That is just a means, new customers for entrepreneurs are the goal. Moreover, with a wine tasting – which the municipality itself proposed – the alcohol objection remains proud.
Council wants to set conditions
There is a majority in the Groningen municipal council in favor of the Wijnloop, sometimes under certain conditions. For example, the PvdA wants participants to be called on to come by bicycle and, according to the Social Democrats, alcohol-free wine should also be offered. Other parties go along with this. Parties also propose a maximum number of participants.
Organizer Richard Bruijne of the Wijnloop hears it all. He calls the conditions imposed ‘purely for form’. According to him, people don’t come by car because they all come from the area. Moreover, the organization already works with a maximum number of participants. “And non-alcoholic wine is also offered,” says Bruijne.
If the Wijnloop were to be canceled, this would be very painful, especially for the entrepreneurs in Haren, according to Richard Bruijne. “It is sometimes seen as a drinking party, but it really isn’t,” he says. “You really have to try hard if you want to get drunk there.”