Rules and costs threaten Dickensnight's success: 'It takes a lot of energy'

1/6 Charles Dickens himself also thought it had become a bit expensive (Photo: Alice van der Plas)

Not because of the number of visitors Dickensnight attracts between 7,500 and 10,000 visitors every year in the Brandfort district of Helmond. But the air festival is under pressure after more than twenty years. Laws and regulations cause volunteers a lot of headaches. And costs rise dramatically.

Every year, the Brandfort area has a Christmas weather twist. The lights turn on, the stalls appear, and thousands of people pass by in search of alpaca stockings, ugly Christmas sweaters and bread boxes.

The characterful streets are filled with costume parties, singers, jugglers and the smell of stroopwafels and churros. But it remains to be seen whether the festival will continue next year.

Because Chairman Jeroen de Kort of Dickensnight wants to be honest about this. “It costs me more energy than it gives me. In fact, organizing isn’t always fun.

“This year the number of security guards has tripled.”

“The event has become increasingly complex. It has become increasingly difficult for us to store our items, for example,” says De Kort. “The costs are also increasing. People used to come to perform because they liked it, but now they’re getting paid to do it. This is absolutely true of course, but it’s all on you.

Security also has to adhere to more and more rules. “This year the number of security guards has tripled.” This also results in a more expensive price. Meanwhile, there is a problem with traffic controllers that needs to be solved. “Parking will also become a real issue soon. The grass we have now will be home to new homes next year.”

The text continues below the image.

Victorian ladies of the Brandfort district of Helmond

De Kort doesn’t want to think about becoming more successful with Dickensnight. “This is a nice number and it’s also possible for the neighborhood, and everyone is very optimistic about it. Except for a few.”

He points to a well-dressed, angry-looking man wearing a top hat. “I will boil you in candy and bury you with a branch of holiness in your heart,” the man explodes at passers-by. The famous curmudgeon is on his way to making an appearance on Sunday afternoon.

He added: “We want to continue for years to come, but I cannot give any guarantees.”

“Dickensnight is really for the people who live in the neighborhood and immediate surroundings,” De Cort says. “We only advertise locally. We’ve seen someone send a well-meaning letter to a major magazine. Then we got busloads of people, 20,000 visitors! It wasn’t worth repeating. This year there are eighty booths and that’s enough.”

Not for two days with tens of thousands of visitors, as in Deventer. De Kort doesn’t want to think about it. “It really causes a headache. If you do it commercially, all these rules and laws are not a big problem, but if you do it voluntarily, it takes a lot of energy. The organization does not have enough volunteers and is urgently looking for more.

However, De Corte and his dozens of volunteers want to do everything they can to keep the event going. “It fits in well with this iconic neighborhood. We really want to continue this way for years to come, just like it is now, but I can’t make any guarantees.”