The decision axes any in-person events for both King’s Day, and Bevrijdingsdag
Translated by Thomas Ansell
The Veiligheidsberaad, the national safety advisory council, has decided to issue a ruling that no large scale events should take place in the Netherlands up to and including May 5, reports the NOS. The council is made up of a number of public figures, including various Mayors, and the chair Hubert Bruls (also the Mayor of Nijmegen) said following the meeting yesterday that events were more likely to happen in the summer.
With all events requiring a permit from their local Mayor in order to go ahead, the councils decision means that King’s Day (27 April), and Bevrijdingsdag (5 May) will be celebrated online or in very small groups this year.
Mayor Bruls said that first a series of small-scale events must be tested for safety, once the Dutch government lifts the strictest Coronavirus restrictions. “It sounds great on paper, but it’s not something that we have yet done in the Netherlands”, he said. Bruls also mentioned that more social events are likely once the majority of people have been vaccinated.
In 2020 no large scale events took place on either King’s Day or Bevrijdingsdag, whilst the Comité 4 en 5 Mei (who organise the largest Bevrijdingsfestivals) have announced that their events will take place online this year. On May 5 the committee is organising a 200-act livestream. Ambassadors this year include Davina Michelle, Tino Martin, and Jonna Fraser.
