Carnival Colors: A Few Photos

Maastricht’s Carnival 2010 took off brilliantly Sunday despite the cold and constant snowfall. I’ll send out a proper write up on Wednesday or Thursday, but for now here are a few pictures.

Too excited to sleep in, Dan and I changed straight into our costumes and headed out early.

On our way to the Vrijthof, the sound of drums and music lured us down a side street to the front of the Prince of Carnvial’s Palace (well, ok, his house). There we watched a short ceremony which culminating in the unfurling of a banner. There was a little technical trouble, but a trusty ladder was brought in and the problem resolved.

After that little ceremony, we slipped down the Vrijthof early in the, apparently mistaken, expectation that we would need to stake out a space on the square for the official opening ceremony. Fortunately that wasn’t problem and we had time to inspect the wide variety of costumes and get a front seat for the speakers.

The Mooswief was raised.

And the 11 cannon shots were loud.

A few hours later the parade began (at about 3 pm) and we watched from outside John Mullins. Many of the costumes were very interesting; although some groups were a bit dull. Several bands of the ‘drunken’ variety kept things lively.

Afterward we went out with several other expats and joined the revelers in the streets and pubs. I was amazed by the number of families with small children running in and out of the bars. Everyone was clearly having a wonderful time and we bar-hopped around Maastricht, enjoying the traditional music, food, and colors.

4 Responses to “Carnival Colors: A Few Photos”

1. Aledys Ver says:

   February 16, 2010 at 8:29 pm

   Hi there!
   I just discovered your blog following a link on Alison’s bog, “A Flamingo in Utrecht”. It’s nice to see photos and read your comments on how the Carnival is celebrated in Maastricht. I’ve just published a post about Maastricht on my blog and with some of my readers we were saying how interesting it would be to go there during this celebration.
   Very nice blog, I’m looking forward to reading more.
   Cheers!

   Reply
   • locusta says:

     February 16, 2010 at 8:32 pm

     Welcome to Maastricht Minutiae Aledys. Thank you for your kind comments. I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog and photos. I’ll be popping over to see your post as well. Cheers!

     Reply
2. melwillems says:

   February 17, 2010 at 3:16 pm

   Hi there..you two look fabulous! My husband really enjoyed your carnaval pics as well;-)

   Reply
   • locusta says:

     February 17, 2010 at 3:17 pm

     Glad you liked them. Next year we’ve got even more elaborate plans.

     Reply