Carnival 2021 will be a carnival without large-scale events. That says Rob van de Laar, chairman of the Brabant Carnival Federation. “Carnival as we know it – in the pub, on the street, and the parades – will almost certainly not take place. A miracle has to happen for that, but that is not possible. ”
Van de Laar leaves this on Heart of the Netherlands know after it was announced on Friday that Geertruidenberg in Brabant will definitely end Carnival next year. As far as is known, this is the first place that canceled all its activities. This decision does not apply to Raamsdonksveer and Raamsdonk, the other two centers of the municipality of Geertruidenberg.
Very tough decision
Van de Laar says he understands the choice of the Carnival Foundation Geertruidenberg. “You can only respect the decision. It creates clarity well in advance ”, says Van de Laar. “The question is: couldn’t you have waited a few days or weeks for the final decision?”
According to Kees van Oosterhout, chairman of the Carnival Foundation Geertruidenberg, now was the right time. “It was a very tough decision. But associations should start building their carnival wagons now. If you make those people wait, you will be saddling them with costs and they will have put in time that may have been for nothing, ”he says. Heart of the Netherlands.
Van Oosterhout says the decision has been taken because he cannot guarantee that people will adhere to the 1.5 meter distance rule during carnival. “We have tried to come up with alternatives, but you keep falling back on that 1.5 meters distance. The music turns on, hands are raised and people start dancing. ”
‘More places will cancel carnival’
The chairman of the Brabant Carnival Federation says he expects more places to decide to cancel Carnival next year. In September, the federation will enter into talks with the Limburg unions about what is and is not possible to allow the party to continue corona proof. Then they issue an advice to the organizations. Large carnival organizations in Den Bosch, Breda and Eindhoven, among others, have set up committees to discuss the possibilities.
Also read: Corona cuts off Carnival 2021: ‘It does not fit in these rules’
In any case, according to Van de Laar, it is clear that Carnival will be a party next year without large-scale gatherings. “Especially given the latest developments. And also given the stigma that Carnival may have been the corona spreader in the past year, ”he says. “We all have to handle this carefully. I think major events will be canceled in that regard. ”
Enough alternatives
Many carnival celebrants will be deeply sad and unhappy, says Van de Laar. But, he also says: there are plenty of alternatives left. “Carnival just continues. It is an annual celebration, it is not an event. We hope that we can still bring the atmosphere of carnival to the cities. You can play music through speakers and, for example, place dolls in the squares. And carnival remotely via social media. ”
As far as he is concerned, there will certainly not be a polonaise. “Or at a distance of 1.5 meters, but that will be a very long polonaise. The wonders are not over yet, so who knows, maybe there will be a vaccine somewhere and the pubs can still be filled. At the moment, I expect a lot from the creativity of the carnival celebrants to come up with alternatives. ”
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