25 years of sirens and smiles: Emergency vehicles bring sick children to Artis

Hundreds of flashing lights and blaring sirens were set to ring out on the streets of Amsterdam on Friday evening, but there was no cause for alarm. The annual KinderBeestFeest kicked off its 25th annual edition, bringing over a thousand children with chronic illnesses and physical disabilities to the city's Artis Zoo.

The children and their families were transported as part of a massive convoy of about 500 old and new police cars, ambulances, fire trucks, military vehicles and other novel sets of wheels. They were brought to the zoo, where they could pose for photographs with the sea lions, listen to a children's music concert by singer-songwriter Dirk Scheele, and take part in various activities.

"So don't be alarmed if you see this noisy procession driving through Amsterdam on Friday evening. There's nothing wrong, but get out of the way!" the city wrote in an announcement about KinderBeestFeest's silver anniversary.

The idea for the annual tradition started in 1996 at Blijdorp Zoo in Rotterdam. Artis zookeepers attended the event in Rotterdam, and convinced Artis to do the same. "In 2000, the animal caretakers organized the first party for chronically ill children at the AMC Emma Children's Hospital."

About 1,500 volunteers work throughout the year to organize the event, and make sure it goes smoothly on the day itself. That included traffic management, parking restrictions, the diversion of tram 14, and a few road closures in the Plantagebuurt, the neighborhood around the zoo.