Traditional Sinterklaas arrival in Amsterdam cancelled this year

There will again be no traditional Sinterklaas arrival celebration in Amsterdam this year, the Sinterklaas in Amsterdam foundation announced. Safety considerations and complex measures around the coronavirus make it too difficult to organize, the organization said, NH Nieuws reports.

"You are dealing with vulnerable target groups and you do not want something happening to them on your conscience," Orhan Polat of the foundation said to the broadcaster. "We're really doing this for safety reasons."

On the bright side, this offers a chance to put a new spin on the Sinterklaas celebration, he added. "There will be no classic, traditional arrival from the water this year, but we will provide an alternative," Polat said.

Exactly what that alternative will look like, will be announced at a later date. But the organization said they'll try to keep it as close to the traditional celebration as possible.