LIVE | Liberation Day kicks off in Roermond, fire ignited in Wageningen | Domestic

This year’s Ambassadors of Freedom – Claude, Wende, FLEMMING and Son Mieux – leave on Sunday from Gilze-Rijen air base by helicopter to various destinations liberation festivals spread throughout the country. On the stage of the festivals, they each reflect in their own way on what freedom exactly means.

There are a total of three hundred performances in fourteen cities, spread across all provinces throughout the country. Wende performs in North Holland, Gelderland and Limburg, FLEMMING is on stage in Flevoland, Overijssel and North Brabant. Son Mieux visits Friesland, Drenthe and South Holland and Claude is transported by helicopter to festivals in Groningen, Utrecht, Limburg and Zeeland.

In the run-up to Liberation Day, the Ambassadors each prepared in their own way. For example, the Hague pop group Son Mieux entered into conversation with a refugee Russian artist and Claude from Congo wrote a story about freedom. FLEMMING made a podcast about his Surinamese roots and Wende delved into freedom of expression.

Liberation Day kicks off in the Limburg Roermond. After the May 5 lecture by lawyer and human rights activist Lilian Gonçalves-Ho Kang You, it will be liberation fire in the host province ignited early in the afternoon by outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Ambassador of Freedom Wende Snijders. After that, all freedom celebrations in the country start.

In Wageningen finds the National Commemoration of Capitulations 1945 place. This includes British veterans, outgoing Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren and Pieter van Vollenhoven. Part of the commemoration in the Gelderland city is the Freedom Parade, the traditional parade in honor of the liberators and veterans. The veterans present come first.

People can eat it seven hundred places join a so-called freedom meal, 57 of which are in the Caribbean part of the kingdom. The idea is that people while enjoying a freedom soup to talk to each other about what freedom means to them. This year there is a tomato soup with miso and spring onion on the menu. In the Central Market Hall in Amsterdam, children prepare freedom soup to serve to their loved ones from all generations and other invited guests.

By means of the whole country are different free liberation festivals. Liberation Day ends with the May 5 concert in Carré in Amsterdam. Rutte and the royal couple, among others, are present.

Good morning! In this live blog we will keep you informed about everything that happens on Liberation Day 2024.