Begging vagabonds, stealing thieves, wealthy ladies and gentleman with top hats – it sounds like something out of a Dickens novel and that isn’t too far from the truth.
Every year the 19th century of Charles Dickens is brought to life in the Bergkwartier in Deventer, in the form of the Dickens Festival. Historical buildings and houses, puffed potatoes, roasted chestnuts, Christmas trees and sparkling lights will all help to set the scene. The shops (open on both Saturday and Sunday) as well as the galleries will also be taking part.
For some information (in Dutch) about Charles Dickens, his work and the Dickens Festival Deventer, have a look at the video below:
On Sunday, December 18th the city centre will also be decked out for Christmas. Two hundred stands in the main square will make up the town Christmas market. A cultural programme including choirs, orchestras and vocal ensambles will add the Christmas music.
The event is free but with more than 150,000 people visiting each year, a waiting time of around 60 minutes can be expected. Further information about the weekend can be found on the website and a map of the event can be found here. Who know’s who you might meet when you visit – Oliver Twist, Mr. Pickwick or maybe even Scrooge himself.
Have you visited the Dickens Festival in Deventer? What did you think of it? If you have some photos from the event, maybe you would like to share them with us in the Facebook group.
Visiting Information:
Date: Saturday 17th December and Sunday 18th December 2011
Place: Bergkwartier – City centre Deventer (The Netherlands)
Entree: Free (waiting time +/- 60 minutes)
Comments:
Nate:
Thanks so much for this article. I visited this year, what a totally incredible festival!