Wat een bal weekend! Het Tulpen Bal! / What a ball weekend! The Tulips Ball!
By Duke Michael of Mecklenburg.
The Tulips Ball Committee hosted its second edition of the Tulips Ball from 18 to 20 March 2016. In total, more than 140 guests visited the Grand Tulips Ball on March 19. The Netherlands, Germany, Armenia, Italy, the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, France, Lichtenstein, Romania, Spain, the US, and Hong Kong SAR, China were all were present at this years’ Tulips Ball!
With such an international crowd and more than 300 tulips, the Ball Committee was proud to have hosted the Tulips Ball at Hotel van Oranje. The weekend featured a lot of fun, laughing, dancing, interesting conversations and cultural appreciation in the wonderful city of Noordwijk. Diplomat Magazine congratulates the Tulips Ball Committee and especially Clemens van Steijn, the initiator of this great success.
On Friday 18 of March the ball weekend started with an exceptional programme highlight: a morning horse riding trip along the beach in Noordwijk! After a refreshing start, the noon and afternoon were free and the guests came back for the Eintanzen to get to know the other guests or speak with familiar faces.
There was a short dancing lesson in Friesenrock and Waltz for those who wanted to learn the basics or improve their style. After the lesson, one side of the room’s walls slid aside, revealing tables and a delicious dinner buffet. Having eaten and feeling refreshed, the dance floor filled rapidly, accompanied by a variety of music enabling everyone to find their moment to dance to their preferences.
As it grew late, the after-party got into full swing. The whole crowd found enough energy to sing along to songs from all over the world played by a pianist until well after midnight.
On Saturday noon, the ball crowd visited the nearby city of Leiden to do some sightseeing by boat through the old channel system of the University City. The Tulips Ball guests were warmly welcomed by the captain of ‘Rederij Rembrandt’, who provided them with a typically Dutch drink called Jenever.
This made sure that even though it was still very early and some of the guests had only caught a short night of sleep, the perfect atmosphere was created to enjoy some of the great sights Leiden has to offer. After a relaxing trip, the group had lunch next to the castle of Leiden in the Koetshuis de Burcht in the historical city centre. Guests then had a free afternoon which allowed everyone to prepare and dress up for the Grand Tulips Ball.
As guests arrived for the evening, the weekend came to its peak. The Grand Tulips Ball was opened by Clemens van Steijn with a fine opening speech, welcoming the guests, thanking all supporters and encouraging everyone to enjoy the special evening to the fullest extent. This was followed by a speech of the mayor of Noordwijk, Jan Rijpstra, who welcomed all guests to the beautiful city of Noordwijk, and wished everyone a great evening. Finally, a third speech was given regarding the charity aspect of the ball.
A wonderful dinner was then served to everyone’s satisfaction. During the main course, charity raffle tickets were sold. The main price was provided by Hermance Gransberg – Baroness van Heeckeren van Kell (attelier2adorn) who received a gilded roe head on a pedestal. Furthermore, Hotel van Oranje, Countess Yasmin von Schweinitz and Krain (Lunari.de), Museum van Loon and L’Oreal generously donated to the charity tombola.
More than 1,000 euros was collected and donated to the foundation Het Vergeten Kind. After the main course and a fantastic dessert, the music started to play and the opening Waltz commenced and was joined by many guests, after the first dance by the Ball Committee. After some classical music, the song Staying Alive by the Bee Gees brought most of the guests onto the dance floor to dance Friesenrock, which is a mix of rock and roll and swing. In German it is called a Knotentanz. Towards midnight, the prizes from the raffle tickets were read out and given to the winners.
The dancing then continued until the early hours. On the final day of the weekend, the guests had an opportunity to observe holy mass or a chapel service. At noon, the guests also had a chance to use the facilities of Hotel van Oranje, which included a spa and other relaxing activities.
Overall, the atmosphere was great and the Ball Committee received much positive feedback. The Ball Committee is certain that there will be another Tulips Ball in the coming year. After the Tulips Ball weekend, some of the far-traveling guests stayed a bit longer to enjoy some of the great sights the Netherlands has to offer.
The Keukenhof, Amsterdam and of course The Hague were on the agenda and ensured the Tulips Ball mood was sustained long after the ball weekend. The Ball Committee is very enthusiastic about next year’s ball and has already started working on some ideas to make the next ball an ever greater success than that of this year. In order to do so, the Committee is open to suggestions and is looking forward to expanding cooperation with diplomatic and other organisations that wish to support the ball or its charity cause in any way they see fit.
Moreover, the ball committee would be delighted to invite to the ball guests from the diplomatic community in the Netherlands and beyond.
For more information, please visit the website: www.tulipsball.com
