Hits blast through the speakers, caps pop off the bottles and balls pop off the milk cans. New Year’s Eve in and around the tent of the DB shack (De Boshut) in Hooghalen has been going on all day and will continue unabated in the evening. But possibly the last in its current form.
It is the third time that the shack has spent the year in this way, says Mika Paasman. “We started with carbide shooting, with a few buses. Then the tent was added and then it got bigger.”
In the tent they shout loudly into the microphone, but it turns out to be a fruitless talent show. Easter Man: “There aren’t many winners from what I hear.”
2023 will end with about 20 or 30 males. Fireworks should of course not be missing, at midnight there will be quite a few going up in the air. But actually that’s a side issue. Having fun together is what it’s all about. “Things are going really well, it’s fun and there is plenty of beer,” says Paasman.
After noon the group heads to the youth center in Hooghalen, just like the rest of the village. To wish each other the best for the new year.
Just further down the street, another group is celebrating the end of the year in a similar way. “Next year we will probably go together. That will be better. One big party, one whole in Hooghalen,” says Paasman.