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Carnival Parade Enschede

Carnival Parade Enschede

Feb 10, 2024
Starts at 11.11am
Start at Volkspark, through the city centre, end at Molenstraat
Enschede
Free

The main Carnival celebration of Enschede - nicknamed Krekkelstad during the festivities - is a fun parade through the city featuring floats, costumed troupes, dancers and music. This creative and child-friendly parade is the perfect occasion for people who want to check out a mellow Carnival celebration in the north-east part of the Netherlands. Let's hope the weather will stay fine for the occasion!

Carnival in Enschede

Carnival in Enschede goes back to 1960, but it never became as widely popular or hyped, compared with some of the other cities in the Netherlands, especially in the south of the country. Still though, countless families and kids look forward to Carnival in Enschede each year.

Carnival's playful atmosphere is present in the Enschede version as much as anywhere! In previous editions, there have even been costumes and floats that satirise current topics, from economic crises to popular movies. Since the Enschede Carnival parade is especially popular among children, lots of parent-child costumes pop up as well.

The parade route

Carnival associations join the parade in a colourful mass of decorated floats and costumed groups, starting from the Parkweg at the Volkspark, leaving at exactly 11.11am. The route passes through the Enschede city centre and finishes up at the Molenstraat, where the award ceremony and after party take place.

Parade categories

The parade has seven categories for the participating floats and marchers. In each category there is a separate prize for the best float or costume:

  • Honorary groups (Prince Carnival and his fellows, dancers and music)
  • Large floats (six metres long or more)
  • Small floats
  • Large groups of people (15 or more)
  • Small groups of people (three to 14)
  • Singles or couples
  • Vehicles and people who advertise in a humorous fashion

Carnival in Oldenzaal

After the parade in Enschede, you could also visit the grand parade in Oldenzaal the next day! About half an hour's drive away, Oldenzaal is known as a real Carnival town and the Big Carnival Parade of Twente, as the procession is called, is quite popular.