Mayor Jan van Zanen receives first Embassy Festival Surprise Box
Cooking demonstrations with international dishes, Irish Dancing in front of the iconic Binnenhof, specially recorded performances by artists that have played at the festival in previous years, an online pubquiz, interviews with ambassadors and Mexican dancing at the Lange Voorhout.
It’s a small selection of the many online activities presented by The Embassy Festival this year. The highlight of their efforts will be the festival weekend on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 September, when all the content that has been made with the nearly 40 participating embassies will be published online. A festival surprise and wine box has also been created, as well as a recipe book, filled with traditional recipes. All were put together with help from the before-mentioned embassies.
With the recipe booklet and box, visitors will have the opportunity to smell, taste and discover the many flavors and scents normally experienced at the International Market. Mayor of The Hague, Jan van Zanen, received the first Embassy Festival Surprise Box earlier this week.
“The Embassy Festival is a special festival for The Hague. In the past eight years, they’ve offered a cultural round-the-world trip in two days at the Lange Voorhout and shown its visitors how culture can bring people closer together. Several embassies are offering a chance to get to know their culture and traditions through music, art, dance and much more. My appeal to you is to visit the Embassy Festival online this year! They will bring people together online this year and I wish you a wonderful time!” – mayor Jan van Zanen
A Round-The-World Trip from the Comfort of Your Home
In previous years, tens of thousands of people would flock to the Lange Voorhout for an exciting cultural round-the-world trip. This year, the festival is re-creating that experience online. Travel the world and experience cultural activities from e.g. Chile, Moldova, Bangladesh, Costa Rica and El Salvador from the comfort of your home.
In the run-up to the festival weekend snippets of content, such as videos and interviews, will be released through embassyfestival.com. During the festival weekend itself, 4 and 5 September, more than 50 videos will be released, and everyone will receive their previously ordered Embassy Festival Surprise boxes and/or Recipe Booklets. A live and online pub quiz will also be part of the online programme. Everybody can join in free of charge on the 3rd and 4th of September at 7pm sharp. Knowledge about the festival and the participating embassies will be put to the test by host Mark O’Loughlin, well-known in The Hague and beyond for his international pub quizzes, as well as being a host during the regular Embassy Festival editions. Participants will also be able to win fantastic prizes.
From Festival site to Warehouse
The team would normally be busy preparing for the offline version of the Embassy Festival right about now. This year, it’s a whole different story. At the office of organizers PROOOST, a logistical operation has been set in place where everyone, festival director included, is preparing to fill and send boxes to homes all over the Netherlands.
The Embassy Festival Surprise box has proven to be an enormous success. Order for the box can be placed until Sunday 30 August. From every corner of the land, orders are pouring in. “We’ve been completely overwhelmed by the response and support. Not just from the embassies who have wholeheartedly participated, but also from artists that have played at the festival in previous years and of course our visitors, who are ordering surprise boxes’ and enjoying our online content.
We, as much as them, would’ve rather seen each other at the Lange Voorhout, but they’ve let us know that they very much appreciate the online alternative we’re offering. Something we’re tremendously proud of. We hope to receive a lot of happy videos and pictures during the festival weekend, from happy visitors joining us from their home.” – festival director Carly Dutton.
