NEW THIS YEAR! (2023)

“Who stole the Klompen?”

An interactive puzzle game for ages 13-adult.

WHEN:

Friday 3pm-6pm and Saturday 9am-6pm

WIN ONE OF THESE SHOES IF YOU FIGURE OUT WHO “STOLE THE KLOMPEN”!

Saturday 9am-4pm

Located on the Library front lawn. This year we will have 60 or more vendors with handmade arts and crafts. It will include a wide variety with something for everyone including: jewelry, yard art, soaps and lotions, photography, home decor, doll clothing, henna tattoo, woodworking, holiday crafts, purses and bags, macrame, sewn items, baby gifts, handmade paper crafts and embroidered towels along with other unique items.

This is the best time to start your holiday shopping for unique items.

The Holland Festival parade is an unusual one. Every year we are asked when the parade begins….

Well, we begin our Saturday afternoon activities with an honor to our Dutch Heritage; Our Burgermeister and Town Crier declare the streets dirty, we spend some time scrubbing the streets (which is adorable to watch) and after the Burgermeister declares them clean our Kinder Klossers and Klompen Dansers entertain.

This year we will have the Kinder Klossers beginning on the north side of Main Street and working their way to the south. Simultaneously the Klompen Dansers will begin on the south end of Main street and dance north. Our Stage Dansers will perform for the crowd in front of the First Reformed Church.

No entrance to the parade route is allowed from 1 pm to the end of the parade.

KLOMPEN DANSING WAS STARTED IN 1946 FOR THE VILLAGE’S CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION.

We are celebrating 77 years of Klompen Dansing in 2024, if you have ever dansed with the klompen dansers be sure to return to the Holland Festival this year!!

KINDER KLOSSERS

They begin at age 4 and dance in this group until 4th grade.

Make no mistake these kids can rock those wooden shoes. (and let’s face it, making noise is fun)

KLOMPEN DANSERS

It is remarkable to hear synchronized stomping of wooden shoes on pavement.

This group is the 5th -12th graders. They learn three dances: the Clog, the Mill and the Parade step.

The parade step was designed in 1976 when the Klompen Dansers went to Washington DC for the country’s Bicentennial parade.

STAGE DANSERS

These are the advanced Klompen Dansers. These high school girls have learned four additional dances that the perform several times during the festival.

ALUMNI DANSERS

It amazes us every year, no matter how old we get we still love to Danse

THE KLOMPEN DANSER’S SCHOLARSHIP FUND IS SELLING SHOES & STROOPWAFFLES

The vigorous nature of the dance results in broken shoes. We have been giving our broken shoes to local artists who donate their talents and give new life to our old shoes. We have been selling these for years, come and see how beautiful the art is this year.

We are also selling Stroopwaffles, these are wonderful caramel filled cookies that taste great with a cup of coffee or a scoop of ice cream.

Please come by and see our booth, located next to the souvenir stand.

LUKE’S LOST ARTS

Luke Traver began working with Master Shoe Carver Bob Siegel Jr (Sieg) in 2004. Following Sieg’s retirement in 2014 Luke has been on a mission to preserve this lost art for future generations.

LUKE IS ONE OF A KIND

There are only 15 registered klompenhaurs registered worldwide.

This year street scrubbing will take place on Van Altena Ave on Friday at 3p. and on Main street between the Het Museum and the Windmill on Saturday at 1p.