The municipal executive of Den Bosch wants to eliminate huge crowds on the Thursday before Carnival. The mayor and alderperson announced a proposal on Tuesday, 9 June 2026, to ban all carnival events for that day. Under this new plan, hospitality venues that sell alcohol must stay closed until 18:00. Pubs and restaurants that do not host carnival activities can easily apply for an exemption.
Rapidly growing visitor numbers
Officially, Carnival begins on Sunday, but festivities in the south of the Netherlands start days earlier. Thursday has now evolved into an extra carnival day in Den Bosch. Earlier this year, around 42,000 visitors entered the city centre on Thursday. This figure doubles the attendance recorded in 2024.
Local residents experience significant nuisance on this day, and shopkeepers struggle to run their businesses. The municipality blames the early and prolonged nightlife patterns for these issues. Furthermore, the city infrastructure is not yet ready for such massive crowds on a Thursday.
Public safety under pressure
The executive believes the traditional folk festival increasingly resembles a large-scale music festival. The municipality states that this trend threatens the traditional atmosphere and identity of the Oeteldonk Carnival. It also compromises liveability, safety, and public order.
Both the police and municipal wardens state the current situation is unsustainable. The excessive crowds disrupt their regular duties. Mayor Jack Mikkers added that the event has completely lost its balance on Thursday. An advisory group of local stakeholders failed to agree on changes, so the municipality decided to take control.
Fierce opposition from hospitality sector
Local hospitality businesses strongly oppose the plans. The Den Bosch and Rosmalen branches of Royal Hospitality Netherlands (KHN) called the measures disproportionate. They believe the rules unnecessarily restrict entrepreneurs and damage the hospitable character of the city.
Otto van den Groenendaal, chairman of the Den Bosch branch, acknowledges the sharp increase in Thursday crowds. However, he believes the proposed solution overreaches completely. The sector fears that authorities will impose similar restrictions on other events in the future. Therefore, both KHN branches urge the municipal council to review the plans critically.
@ anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
