Vlaggetjesdag celebrated in style with The Hague Bridge

On Saturday 12 June, a number of guests attended a boat excursion organised by The Hague Bridge in celebration of ‘Vlaggetjesdag’ to celebrate the start of the infamous herring season.

The Hague Bridge is an initiative which was established to bridge the gap between the local Dutch and international residents of The Hague. The programme brings over 40,000 residents from all walks of life together through various organised activities. Particularly unique to this project is that The Hague Bridge focuses on a different city district of The Hague periodically, placing that particular area in the spotlight for around three months. Having visited Haagse Hout, Loosduinen and Laak, it is now Scheveningen’s turn to be in the limelight, The Hague’s city by the sea. The boat excursion provided a pleasant opportunity to mark the traditional Dutch Vlaggetjesdag celebrations in style, an opportunity that many expats, an locals, don’t come by easily.

The host of the event Willem Post, International Advisor for Mayor of The Hague Jozias van Aartsen, said, “We wanted to show the expats of The Hague how rich Scheveningen is from a historical perspective.” Quoting the old Dutch saying “Zeelucht maakt frei” (the air of the sea makes one feel free), Post emphasised the boat excursion to sea as being the perfect setting in which to connect with one another, whilst celebrating Scheveningen’s historic herring tradition.

The boat excursion was attended by expats, Scheveningen residents and high school and college students. Guests boarded ‘Minerva’, which was docked on Scheveningen’s second harbour. On board, guests were treated to the season’s specialty – fresh herring – as well as snacks and beverages. Host Willem Post opened the event with a welcome speech. Among the invited guests was the new Executive Director of Access, Lucie Scott, who gave a speech to mark the occasion.
As the ‘International city of Peace and Justice’, The Hague is home to approximately 40,000 expats and international residents. Whilst their work-related stay in the Netherlands is, more often than not, temporary, integration is the key to becoming settled and to getting to know one’s new habitat. A large part of integration is meeting and socialising with locals, which is where The Hague Bridge comes in, bringing together Hagenaars (local residents of The Hague) with expats. What the project also aims to do is enable locals and internationals to gain a greater understanding of what the city has to offer on an international standpoint.

“We understand that expats can live isolated, and for this reason we aim to connect them with each other and locals as soon as possible. We’d like to improve their lives,” Post said. “The Hague Bridge program is a do-able way of making that happen. And the wonderful thing is, everyone can join in. The sky is the limit.”

The project also endeavours to place a focus on the cultural aspect of The Hague, recognising the comparatively small city as one with a surprising and profound cultural agenda. “It’s really incredible what The Hague has to offer. This is not Shanghai or New York or Rio de Janeiro, so for a city with half a million people, you would not expect so many events, and this surprises visitors,” Post said.

The Hague Bridge was initiated by Mayor of The Hague, Jozias van Aartsen, in cooperation with Willem Post and Astrid Bronswijk, the Director of the Bureau of International Affairs, as well as numerous volunteers and civil servants. Van Aartsen’s aim was to bring the city of peace and justice closer to its citizens, and to unite expats and non-expats as much as possible.

“The Hague Bridge is a program, but it is also a metaphore. On 19 September The Hague Bridge will be part of International The Hague Day, bringing expats and local residents together in the city hall, informing them about international The Hague,” Post said.

Various other activities are in the line up for the coming months, including a commemoration for the death of the Soldier of Orange with a lecture in a beach restaurant on 26 September. The Hague Bridge closing event will be held at the beginning of October. For more information visit the website of the Haagse Brug www.haguebridge.org

Holly Marder