Westland’s floating flower parade canceled due to NATO summit

The annual Varend Corso in Westland will not take place this year due to the NATO summit in late June, organizers announced. The large-scale security operation required for the summit made it impossible to hold the event on its usual weekend, June 20-22. An attempt to reschedule it three weeks earlier, the weekend after Ascension Day, was deemed unfeasible.

The cancellation was described as a "difficult decision" by organizers. The event, which traditionally attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors, is one of the first major Dutch events to be called off due to the NATO summit on June 24-25.

Dutch authorities previously announced that 27,000 police officers would be deployed for the summit, making it "the largest security operation in Dutch police history."

Organizers had planned to review the designs for participating boats next week but have now advised participants to save their plans for next year. The event is expected to return in 2026, around the summer solstice.