Zundert Dahlias

Mart Mathijssen, member of the flower committee of Zundert, walks along one of the twenty dahlia fields that the village is rich in. The sun shines through the clouds onto the flowers and Mart gazes into the distance. "I actually have a pretty nice office, don't I? When you see those fields... Yes, that's truly enjoyable." A group of elderly men is picking flowers in the field. "It's remarkable how close-knit the community is. We really do it all together."

Twenty neighbourhoods in Zundert each take care of their own dahlia field. The flower committee, consisting of seven members, is responsible for purchasing dahlias. In the municipality of Zundert, the largest dahlia parade in Europe is held annually on the first Sunday of September.

“The dahlia used to be seen as a bit old-fashioned flower, but those days are over,” says Mart as he strides past the flowers in the field. “Somehow it has become really trendy again in recent years. Garden centres are asking for them, and dahlias are also very popular in America. Really nice to see, of course!”

In Zundert the flower parade is something you can't forget. Many people, from young to old, are involved in this grand event. "The best thing about all this is that it's a social event. For young and old. The youngsters build the floats, they love it. Welding high up on the float. The elderly are mainly in the fields. We do it together. If something breaks on a float just before the parade starts, everyone gathers around to help. Even though we are from twenty different neighbourhoods, it's all about solidarity."

“We are currently fully engaged in setting up new tents where the cars are normally built. Well, you have to do something, now that we can't build,” he sighs. “Luckily, the children's parade on 20th September is still going ahead. They just won’t be driving around, but the cars will stay parked. A different format, but it's great that this can still continue.”

You can pick your own field bouquet at the Blommenveld picking garden or at Buytenhuys.