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Corso culture in the Netherlands



The Corso is an event in which neighborhoods compete to make the best float, and the float judged best by the jury wins a prize. Families or neighborhoods often spend months preparing elaborate floats, bringing in fresh products (flowers, fruit, and vegetables) in the final days before the event.

The annual parade has been around since the late nineteenth century. It is particularly widespread in the south of France and Italy but spread as far as the Netherlands in the nineteenth century. The parade takes place on streets or on rivers and is often accompanied by live music performances and theater performances. Some of the festivities happen at night when the floats are illuminated.

A float can be up to 20 meters long and 10 meters high and be either propelled by a motor or pushed manually. The number of people in each building group varies from a dozen to a few hundred. Occasionally a flower field is maintained. In each corso, building groups or neighborhoods build a creation every year, and sometimes groups also maintain a flower field. In total, around 75,000 volunteers actively work on the creations.

In addition to the Corso’s, other volunteers also participate during the event, such as jury members, dancers and actors, musicians, guilds, traffic controllers, procession leaders, photographers, etc. This totals an estimated 5,000 volunteers.

Every year, the corso events attract more than 1,500,000 visitors from home and abroad, while the television broadcasts are viewed by more than 2,000,000 people nationwide and internationally. The local and regional governments are also closely involved in Corso culture. This includes facility services, grant programs, building permits, and the preservation of the environment.

Throughout the country, there are thirty corsos, and the majority of corsos take place in villages. Most of the corsos have their own construction site, either in or outside the village where the parade takes place. The procession of floats passes through a village, the public watching it along the road, or from stands. Some corsos are mobile, but others are still flower mosaics.

Corsos often use flower bulbs in the spring (tulip, hyacinth, daffodil) and dahlias in the summer. They can be harvested and exchanged several times, and in the winter, they can be stored. Alternatives include vegetables, flowers, horticulture, bark, seeds, plants, etc. This collaboration is documented in the Register of Inspiring Examples of Safeguarding, which shares the methodology for setting up a national collaboration of the Corso association.

It is important to note that Corso culture is not just about the parade and competition; sharing a drink or meal together after working on the floats and organizing regular parties is also an important part of the Corso, creating a sense of social cohesion and solidarity, which is often the main motivator for participating in the event. Corso culture is passed on through apprenticeships, school programs, and participation in the annual parade.


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