Carnaval takes place in the south of the Netherlands this weekend and the bigger cities, such as Den Bosch, are taking steps to deal with the expected crowds, Nu.nl reported on Friday.

Den Bosch in particular is popular with tourists from elsewhere in the Netherlands who flock to the city for a weekend of partying. In total, the city expects 250,000 to take part in the revelries.

‘We are using digital signposts, closing streets, there is camera surveillance and enough security guards, police officers and council wardens are on patrol,’ a spokesman told Nu.nl.

Maastricht, too, is expecting a large number of partygoers and up to 25,000 people will join the celebrations on the Vrijthof in the city centre.

Breda is also forecasting a busy weekend and has introduced a ban on glasses and cans in the city centre in an effort to head off potential trouble. Plastic glasses have already replaced glass in the other Carnaval cities.

What you need to know about Carvanal

The weekend weather forecast for the south is for plenty of cloud and wind on Saturday morning, which may disrupt some of the carnival processions. It will also be overcast with rain at times on Saturday afternoon and on Sunday.

Southern provinces

In the Netherlands, Carnaval predominantly takes place in North Brabant and Limburg  over the weekend ahead of the six-week period of Lent. This year the celebrations start on Friday February 17, but will keep on going well into Tuesday in many places.

Last year’s Carnaval celebrations led to an 80% rise in coronavirus cases in some places. Carnaval was also responsible for spreading the virus when it first arrived in the Netherlands in February 2020.