40th edition of Rotterdam Summer Carnival in full swing

A colorful parade with dancers and floats will be held through Rotterdam's city center from noon on Saturday. This is the 40th edition of the Summer Carnival street parade, which has been an intangible UNESCO world heritage site since this year.

The kilometer-long parade is bigger than ever and includes 43 participating groups, some of which have been taking part since the first year. The parade starts on the Blaak and leads via the Museumpark, the Nieuwe Binnenweg, and the Weena to the Coolsingel.

At the Rotterdams street parade, several Caribbean brass bands will participate in the Battle of Drums. Their music is influenced by soca, merengue, kaseko, and samba. According to NOS, Caribbean brass bands originated in Aruba and spread to Suriname and Curacao.

The security measures surrounding the Caribbean event have been tightened after several stabbings and shootings occurred last year. For instance, there is no longer an evening program on the Coolsingel, and the performances by bands and DJs take place scattered around the city and behind fences. In addition, no alcohol will be served this time.

The Queen and King of the event traditionally lead the street parade, this year Queen Larisa and King Gillian. They will ride on the first float and represent the summer carnival for a year.

The popular Summer Carnival in Rotterdam focuses on bringing together different cultures through tropical carnival expressions, similar to those in the Antilles. The first editions of the Carnival took place in Utrecht in 1982 and 1983, where several Antillean carnival associations from Rotterdam, Utrecht, and Amsterdam held a parade on the Jaarbeursplein. Since 1984, the colorful Summer Carnival has been held in Rotterdam.