It is almost the Eleventh of the Eleventh, the traditional start of the carnival season. But what do you do if there are no cafes to celebrate the holiday? In Stampersgat they came up with a creative solution. This time they celebrate the opening of carnival on a boat.
The village in the municipality of Halderberge has about 1300 inhabitants. Meekrapdurp, as Stampersgat is called during carnival, still had two bars, but after the corona period they both remained closed. Since then, carnival goers have had to rely on the village hall. “The crematorium is even more fun,” says Marcel Huibrechtse of carnival association De Meekrap.
Party boat
According to him, the volunteers of the carnival association have their hands full for days to brighten up the room. Marcel: “Actually, all that work is not worth it for a few hours of partying on the Eleventh of the Eleventh. Moreover, we are also busy building the carnival float. That’s why a few people came up with the idea of renting a party boat.”
The intention is that the ‘leutboot’ will sail back and forth on the Dintel river that runs past the village on Saturday, November 11. “It could also be possible that we sail on to surrounding villages. That’s easy here. We often visit other places during carnival and we are always received hospitably.”
One-time
The Meekrappers will celebrate the carnival itself again in February in the village hall. The party on the boat is a one-off for the time being. Marcel expects about 70 to 80 guests on board. “I think our prince also has a boating license, but we won’t do that to him.”