Canal Parade 2015 fills the inner ring

On Sunday afternoon at 1:00 PM, a loud ship's horn sounded to herald the start of the ‘Grachtenparade 2015’. More than eighty decorated boats set off from the Hoge- en Lage der A for a circuit around the Diepenring, eventually finishing at Reitdiephaven (ReitdiepPop). From the Eems Canal near EMG Faktors, a number of larger boats started, including the kofjalk ‘De Tromp’, which formed a magnificent sight alongside all the smaller boats on the Diepenring. Together with the Flyboarder and all the various vessels (dressed up with pirates, sailors, singing, and decorations), it was a true festival in the city of Groningen.

From 12:00 PM onwards, the first decorated boats were already sailing into the A. Until the starting signal at 1:00 PM, the A was filled with many elaborately decked-out sloops. Almost all participants had heavily decorated their boats and themselves, accompanied by upbeat music. Thanks to the sponsorship of ‘Van Dijk Watersport’ and the Reitdiephaven Business Association, a Flyboarder flew and swam across the Diepenring during the Canal Parade, attracting a large crowd. At several points along the route, visitors were treated to a spectacular show.

Choirs
At several points along the route, it was busier than at others. This was mainly due to the choir performances. For instance, Zingen & Zo, Eelsk, and Jong v. Hart performed at Café De Toeter, BSUR at the terraces along the Schuitendiep, choir VET from ‘De Tromp’, and the Shanty choir ‘Oosterstorm’ performed from the jetty of Rondvaartbedrijf Kool.

Weather
Fortunately, an easterly storm did not blow. It was a beautiful last lovely day of late summer. Dry and sunny every now and then.

Theme ‘Late Summer Carnival’
For the first time this edition featured a theme for the Canal Parade. After two editions, the Grachtenfestijn Foundation felt it was time for the next step. Since all participants did their utmost, a theme will be chosen again next year (the 4th edition). This year, the ‘Pirates of the Diepenring’ won. Jurjen Wieldraaijer and his pirates won a voucher for a three-course dinner at Prinsenhof Groningen.

This year, a total of more than one hundred boats participated in the Canal Parade.

The 3rd edition of the Grachtenfestijn is made possible in part by Makro Groningen (main sponsor) and Het Fonds (GCC).

For more information and the complete program at www.grachtenfestijn.nl or follow us on via facebook.com/grachtenfestijn or twitter.com/grachtenfestijn