1/5 Dart fans in the Maaspoort.
Carnival seems to have already started in Den Bosch. This Friday not with Oeteldonkers, but with darts fans. Thousands of fans came to the Maaspoort dressed up for the TOTO Dutch Darts Masters. And it can’t be crazy enough to look at Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld. Three friends walk around as a dartboard. “Why are we dressed up like that? It’s a darts tournament and we want to be crazy.”
The darts tournament seems like a good warm-up for carnival. Spectators everywhere in the hall are dressed up in a striking way. No one can explain why darts fans dress up to watch matches. According to the organization, it has become something of a tradition.
Brian Vugts from Vught is dressed as a beer bottle. “We’re definitely going to drink beer tonight. Not too much, because I have to get up early for work tomorrow,” he says while his friends clap him on the shoulder, laughing.
“Not Bossche bol, but this is also Dutch.”
Wijchen resident Koen van de Kamp and his friends opted for a tompouce suit. “No, not a Bossche bol, but this is really Dutch, isn’t it? We hope for a pleasant evening with high-level darts.” A little further on, a group of friends are walking, all dressed as Super Mario, followed by four disguised Peaky Blinders.
Sven Sprangers from Goirle stands with his friends near the players’ turnout. With a dreadlocks wig on his head and a Ruud Gullit shirt around his shoulders, he encourages the top dart players. “There is a great atmosphere here. We are going to make it a big party.”
“I also throw a triple sometimes, but this level is bizarre.”
Kasper Weijmans from Hedel not only enjoys the atmosphere, but also the level. “I also throw a triple sometimes, but this level is bizarre. These guys are incredibly good.”
One of the best places just in front of the podium is for Katinka van Dekken from Zevenbergen. “It is the first darts tournament I have attended, very cool to experience. I have been a fan of Peter Wright for a long time, I hope he will win.”
“As a Brabander, I wish Michael van Gerwen the most.”
She and her father Michiel are a fanatical darts player himself. His orange cap reveals his preference. “I’m for the Dutch, but as a Brabander I wish Michael van Gerwen the most. How cool that he and other world top players are in action here live.”
On Saturday evening, the best eight darts players will compete for the title of this event in the World Series of Darts. The winner not only receives 20,000 English pounds, but also the Toon Greebe Trophy. A tribute to the Den Bosch darts player who died last year. “Toon was a very popular player who is missed by many people. It’s great that we can honor him with a trophy in his own hometown,” says PDC director Matt Porter.
