Carnival and the festivalization of Maastricht

A few weeks ago, Jan Janssen warned in De Nieuwe Ster about the festivalisation of carnival in Maastricht. For Jan Janssen, carnival is the epitome of the Maastrichter geis and so it will not have escaped his notice that his analysis of carnival is actually a metaphor for the problems that the city struggles with all year round. That problem is that more and more visitors are coming to Maastricht. Shops and the catering industry are trying to make money from this and are adapting their supply accordingly. The municipal government supports them in this because they think that this is good for the economy. And so an increasing part of the taxes that residents pay goes to this festivalisation of the city, which makes the city centre less and less attractive to residents and they start to avoid the city centre. The winners are certainly not the entrepreneurs with a shop, café or restaurant, because as more money can be made from the flow of visitors, the rents of their properties increase accordingly. The big winners are therefore the owners of these properties who see more and more revenue flowing in without having to do much for it.

Some quotes from the article with a translation:

“Carnival in Maastricht means train and bus loads of carnival goers who come from the region, but also from the rest of the country.”

• “Shopping and André Rieu in Maastricht means train and bus loads of day trippers from the region, but also from the rest of the country and abroad.”

“Carnival in Maastricht works like a magnet on the festival audience. An audience that mainly wants to let loose, wants to party, but doesn’t understand the spirit of the Mestreechter vastelaovend at all.”

• “Maastricht acts as a magnet for people who want to go shopping for a day or visit an event. A public that mainly wants to let loose, to have a party, but is not at all concerned with the role that the city centre plays for the residents of the city.”

“Just look at the music. There is actually no pub left that only plays Maastricht carnival music. On the street, the so-called herremeniekes are pushed away by the sound of the ‘carts’. Sound that often has nothing to do with carnival music at all. It is very loud thump-thump-thump.”

• “Just look at the shops. There is actually no shop anymore that only sells things that the residents need. In the center, the newspaper shop and the toy shop are being pushed aside by shops that focus on tourists. Shops that no longer contribute to an attractive center for their own residents. It is increasingly a rubber duck shop, a shop for plushies and a gingerbread shop.”

“You see that herremeniekes now prefer the afternoon. That also applies to older people. Strolling through the city in the afternoon, soaking up the atmosphere, having a drink. Until about seven in the evening. Then the youth takes over.”

• “You see that the inhabitants of Maastricht now prefer to go to the shops outside the centre. They prefer to go to the Brusselse Poort, Meerssen or Beek. In the centre of Maastricht, the day trippers take over.”

Lex Borghans
Burgerraadslid