People with disabilities can watch the Carnival parade from a grandstand for the first time in Eindhoven. Next year, during the Lampegat parade on 18 Septemberplein, there will be special places for people in wheelchairs.
This gives them a good view of all the floats that pass by, Stichting Federatie Eindhovens Carnaval (Eindhoven Carnival Federation Foundation, SFEC) says. In addition to the stands for the disabled, there will be more adjustments next Carnival. “We no longer drive through Kerkstraat. It is too narrow there, and the people are too close together. We have noticed after corona that people no longer like that. The municipality also thought so, and so we have avoided narrow streets when planning the route”, Jasper Liplijn of SFEC explains.
The parade starts on Saturday, 10 February, at 13:11 at Paterskerk and then goes via Vestdijk towards 18 Septemberplein. Then the route goes between the pillars of the Piazza entrance, towards Emmasingel, and ends between the Keizersgracht and Wal just past Stadhuisplein.
Higher float
A different route with no more room for Bleekweg, Bleekstraat, Kanaalstraat, Ten Hagestraat and Kerkstraat has been decided now. However, there is a big advantage. “The float can now be a maximum of nine metres high instead of seven metres. They already do that in surrounding villages, so that was certainly a wish of the builders”.
According to Liplijn, smuggling with extra metres is not a good idea. “We hold each car against the measuring stick and see exactly which car exceeds the maximum height. This way, we can maintain a line”.
Grandstand for disabled people
For the first time during the parade, there is a grandstand for people in wheelchairs. “We have someone in the organisation who does a lot for people with disabilities, and she came up with this idea. We had not thought about how difficult it could be for this group”.
According to the SFEC, the grandstand is the same as at the Eindhoven marathon. “It went well there, too, so why not here. This way, we can give dozens of people in wheelchairs a good view of everything that passes by”.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
