Rising costs, mainly due to stricter permit requirements, are putting an end to at least thirty years of the King’s Festival on Poeleplein. The organization does express the hope that the orange folk festival will be possible again in 2025.
Entrepreneurs involved report that the cause is nuanced, but there is a clear common thread: political choices and increasingly strict licensing requirements that make it no longer possible financially.
Jan Hoeve, manager of De Negende Cirkel, mentions a sum. “It is ultimately a financial decision. The costs were already on the high side and they are increasing irresponsibly because the municipality wants us to contribute more to security. We are not only responsible for the square, but this year also for the access roads such as Peperstraat and Poelebrug. We as small pub owners cannot afford that.”
“It is a conflict, what else should you call it”
Jan receives support from Marcel Levee, from De Brasserie in de Poele and member of the board of Koninklijke Horeca Nederland. Marcel: “It is no longer possible to play around with the regulations that the municipality imposes on us. We have to compete against the Vismarkt, where the Orange Association is throwing a big party with tons of subsidies. Everything is perfectly arranged there. We have to pay for it all ourselves. Our location is shit, the escape routes are difficult, but all costs for security and crowd management are borne by us.”
Grand Café Time Out also has sharp criticism of city hall. “It is a conflict with the municipality,” says owner Dick Jager. “What else should you call it? It gets harder every year. New rules and new things are added every year. It can’t be done anymore, it will be done once.”
‘There is less and less left of the vibrant city center’
The abrupt end to the tradition hurts entrepreneurs for several reasons. First of all, the party itself, they are also looking forward to that. It’s tradition. “It’s been there for as long as I can remember,” says Dick. “My parents organized it thirty years ago.”
But what is most striking is the way in which the municipality acts. “We were only told in February that there were all kinds of additional requirements for the permit application that had been at city hall for some time. In the meantime, after months, we have been in discussions. But none of this is included in the final permit.
And as far as they are concerned, it is a painful symbol of the direction Groningen is taking. “They don’t want the hustle and bustle in the city center anymore,” says Jan. “These are all political choices. Swingin Groningen, Groningens Ontzet, the KEI week, everything slows down, stops or is chased out of the city to the Drafbaan. Marcel: “They often talk about the vibrant city center, we at KHN have been discussing this with the municipality for a year, but there is less and less left. The party in the Kromme Elleboog is also under pressure, so the penny for this year just fell in the right direction.”
Kromme Elleboog will definitely go ahead this year
Roos Brinkman, from Café Soestdijk in the Kromme, assures that the party on King’s Eve and King’s Day will continue this year. “But it is becoming increasingly difficult to organize. This year we also doubted whether it could go ahead. Safety requirements are becoming stricter and the large subsidized festivals are setting the tone. The party at the Vismarkt stops at half past ten, and then we have to stop too. That is not so bad for us, the audience here is a bit older, but the Poelestraat normally has its terraces open until 3 am and now also has to stop at half past ten on King’s Day, which is where it hurts more.”
Municipal spokesperson Hans Coenraads says it was a decision of the organization.
Tags: party Poeleplein Kings Day Conflict municipality puts years tradition
