Even though the weather was disappointing, the regional hospitality industry is satisfied with this year’s Carnaval. After five days of celebration, the carnival celebrants can relax, and the pubs can be cleaned up.
After Chiara and Dennis, the other storm called Ellen pummeled the Netherlands during Carnaval. Many parades were cancelled or postponed this year. “Because of the bad weather, people came to the city a bit later than usual,” says Jan Witmer, regional chairman of the Royal Catering Association. “But everything inside is even cosier.”
Storm and rain lead to empty streets but fuller pubs. “The real carnival goer cannot be stopped by bad weather,” says Jimmy Meijer, owner of the Proost and Dependance pubs in Breda. “Locals in Breda were looking forward to this year’s Carnaval. Their enthusiasm can be seen from how much they drink. The turnover is good; that says it all.”
Issues with fake money
Many pubs were alert for counterfeit money during Carnaval. According to Witmer, getting this fake money problem is unavoidable. “Where there are large groups of people, fake money always appears. Then you have got a few glitches here and there.”
Many hospitality business owners have neighbourhood Whatsapp groups. If fake money shows up at a pub, they immediately sound the alarm. “On Thursday, a pub sent a message that someone had been caught with counterfeit money,” Jimmy says. “Then everybody is on high alert right away.”
Source: Omroep Brabant
Translator: Shufei
Editor: Melinda Walraven
