research
Although the 2024 Lambertus Fair has not yet taken place, the municipality of Hengelo has already investigated in 2025 whether there will still be enough space to organize a fair that meets all the requirements. The fair must still be large enough to be successful. The event must still attract crowds and thus attract tens of thousands of people to the city. This can be done with large and spectacular entertainment venues, which attract many young people, but these attractions often take up a lot of space.
Less attractions
So the organization will have to make do with the available space within the central ring. “There is already less space available before 2025,” says a spokesperson for the Hengelo municipality. “It is difficult to say exactly how many square meters. We will use the station square in 2024. Although we have the station square, there is less space with the new market layout and the limited space on Burgemeester Jansenplein.”
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Deldenerstraat
Due to the redesign of the city centre, including the market square and various streets, the fair organisation has had to make adjustments in recent years with the number of square metres available. The assessment showed that two years ago, part of Deldenerstraat was used for this purpose as an emergency measure, but the emergency services, among others, were not happy with this. Is this an option for the future? “No, that was really an exception,” said the municipality.
Spaces
The creation of less physical space due to the redevelopment of the city centre is not something that is happening specifically in Hengelo, but rather in more city centres. “We are always looking for new spaces and I have to say that it always works out well. If you look at the market square, there is still a lot of space for attractions,” said organiser Auke Dornbusch from the Hengelo municipality.
future
What the future of the Lambertus Fair will look like in the more austere city centre will depend on the municipality’s policy for the coming years. We are currently working hard on an action plan for the new events policy. This looks at how events, including the fair, can contribute to the future plans and the path the municipality has in mind for 2040.
Read also
The Hengelo Lambertus Gallery will once again be entirely within the central ring in 2024.
Innovate
It could be an idea to turn the fair into a broader event for multiple target groups, for example by involving Hart van Zuid, but this has not yet been considered. “It all depends on the space available for the attractions.” If innovation is an option, the municipality would be willing to invest in it. “If it comes from the municipality, we will bear the costs of the new things and hope that the operators will take them over and that it will be profitable.”
The big event
The Lambertus Fair is still one of the city’s biggest events with around 150,000 visitors each year. The majority of these visitors, around seventy percent, come from Hengelo and the surrounding area. On average, the fair now features around forty attractions. Some years there may be more, some years fewer.
In 2024, the Lambertus Fair will once again take place entirely within the central ring from September 18 to 22. This year the attractions are located on Burgemeester Jansenplein, Brinkstraat, Enschedestraat, Marktplein, Molenstraat, Nieuwstraat and Stationsplein.
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