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THE one day of the year where orange is truly in vogue rolls around on Friday as Bahrain’s Dutch community welcomes all to the biggest party of the spring.
The Oranjefeest, a celebration of Koningsdag, or ‘King’s Day’, will take place at Café Amsterdam, Adliya, and promises to be a night filled with traditional Dutch food, beverages and music provided by one of the kingdom’s most popular spinners, DJ Larush.
In Holland, the national day spectacle involves parades, festivities along the canals, a variety of street performers, and the selling of second-hand items (known as vrijmarkt, or ‘Free Market’).
Of course, the most recognisable aspect is the oranjegekte, or ‘orange fever’, where revellers dye their hair, wear ridiculous wigs and deck themselves in full clothing representative of the Dutch national colour.
Project member and organiser Lieke Langelaan said: “We’ve had an Oranjefeest celebration in Bahrain before, but this is the first time at Café Amsterdam and it couldn’t be a more perfect location.
“We do various events around the island throughout the year as we have a thriving Dutch community here, but this is the highlight, no doubt.”
The event is open to everyone, not just Dutch nationals in Bahrain, Paul Vrijhof was keen to stress. The business development manager explained: “Last year we had roughly a 50-50 per cent split in Dutch and other nationalities, and we are expecting the same again. We’re catering for 250 people this year so there will be a lot of different cultures here to celebrate together.
“It will be a great opportunity for people to meet while at the same time having a really enjoyable evening and hopefully learning a little bit about how the Dutch like to do things.
“We expect a lot of visitors from nearby countries too, such as Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, who have reached out to us on Facebook or are old business contacts. It’s a truly multicultural event.”
The night begins at 7.30pm and will include a buffet featuring traditional Dutch foods such as raw herring, bitterballen, stroopwafels and appeltaart. Then Bite, a special Dutch band flown in specifically for the event, will perform four hour-long sets while guests get into the swing of things.
In between sets and until the party ends at 2am, Lars Klaversteijn, known as DJ Larush, will be behind the decks providing a medley of hits from various genres.
The 35-year-old, one of the brightest talents on Bahrain’s music scene, said: “It’s going to be a great event and a wonderful way for everyone to let their hair down and celebrate the Dutch way.”
A tennis coach by day, Lars has been DJing as a hobby since he was 20 and his travels have taken him all across Europe, including a nine-month stay in the very competitive scene of Ibiza, before settling in Bahrain last year.
He continued: “I like to play a wide range of music, from samba to soul to electronic and everything else. It’s much better to have a smooth mix rather than play the same type of thing all night. It caters to everyone and ensures everyone has a good time. I’ll also look to be slipping in a few traditional Dutch tunes on Friday night!”
The tickets, which cost BD30 and are selling out fast, were designed by Paul’s daughter Roma, 12, and feature traditional Dutch symbols such as cows and tulips. Paul said: “It’s been a long process to organise the event and get everything ready. It’s taken many months and so many people have had a hand in planning it. I’d particularly like to thank Lieke and the rest of the planning committee, and, of course, our sponsors Jan de Jonge Flowsystems, Akil Management Services, Imtech Industry International, KLM, BMMI, Al Jazira Supermarket, Shell, Unilever, Balland Moretech, Lala Paloza and Faba – without them the event couldn’t happen.
“We can guarantee it’s going to be a great evening and we are truly open to everyone.”
The event is strictly for 18 years and above, and tickets cost BD30. Email nvbahrein@gmail.com or dutchconsul@batelco.com.bh for more details.
The event will feature a raffle draw, with one return ticket to Amsterdam and two return tickets to Abu Dhabi as prizes, provided by KLM.
