event
By Deborah Valentine
Diversity & Discovery Uncovering The Hague Festivals 2009
Under the umbrella of The Hague Festivals there are many, many, treasures to be found; treasures that celebrate the increasingly multi-cultural character of the city and treasures that reinforce The Hague as the capital of music - pop and jazz - in the
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Netherlands.
For those still debating or planning their summer holidays;
ingly international and multi-cultural city. The Hague Festivals
keep June 12 - 28 in mind. The Hague will have enough on
actually comprises 29 independent events which vary in scope
offer to entertain, inform, relax and distract everyone in the
and length. There are those that last a single day, others that
family! If you don’t have to leave, take the time to investigate -
take place over several days and yet others that take place
making choices will be just as difficult as navigating the cheap-
over several days and in multiple locations. All totalled, there
est way to get home! So, stay, and invite family and friends to
are more than 200 singular activities that are sure to appeal
join you in a city which will vibrate with the sights and sounds
to every taste and age category! Among the events are those
of the world, and Holland.
brand new to the cultural scene of The Hague, and others
For the third year in a row, the Municipality of The Hague
Parkpop for kids
which are steeped in the history of this seaside city.
has provided the festival season of the city with a banner
Feel Free to Celebrate, is - according to the Press Release
under which to promote a variety of independent events. Such
for The Hague Festivals - not simply a slogan, but a reflection
an initiative ensures a cohesive image of the activities, but
of the idea that in this International City of Peace, Justice and
simultaneously provides the public with centralised informa-
Security, we are free to celebrate. Free to celebrate peace, and
tion. Whereas the focus three years ago was on events in the
free to revel in the city’s absolute diversity. For it is in diversity,
centre of the city, this year The Hague Festivals have expanded
in learning about other cultures - through music, food and
and capture the cultural breadth and wealth of this increas-
celebration - that we can in fact construct understanding and peace. Last year, more than 175,000 people enjoyed The Hague Festivals; 52,600 more than the year before. Every indication is that with the additions to this year’s programme, even more people will be able to enjoy and discover so much more. Whatever your interest, there is something for you - from experiencing shopping late on the longest day of the year, to relishing in the sounds of classical music twinkling over the water of the Hofvijver, to being among the first to hear new musical talents, to experiencing a music and dance experience geared towards raising an awareness of the world of the deaf or hardof-hearing, to witnessing the longest catwalk in the world that celebrates the varied backgrounds of the city’s population, to being exposed to the newest most innovative film makers and their craft. This only scratches the surface of what The Hague Festivals offers between June 12 and 28. The Hague has a reputation, national and international, for music. Whether it is the innovative pop scene or the new and
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