Parade Honoring Vincent van Gogh
Corso Zundert is an annual parade in Zundert, Netherlands. It features floats decorated with thousands of dahlia flowers. In 2019, Vincent van Gogh inspired the floats’ designs. The artist was born in Zundert in 1853.
This eye-catching parade began in 1936. It celebrates the region’s status as a global dahlia supplier. The city has dedicated 81 acres to growing 600,000 dahlia bulbs, consisting of 50 species. Corso Zundert has the distinction of being the world’s largest flower parade.
During the early years of Corso Zundert, the floats were comparably modest. They may have been a bicycle or horse-drawn cart decorated with flowers. Now, the floats are much grander, and they take the concept of traditional flower-covered floats and combine them with contemporary art to create eye-catching displays.
This year, the parade’s theme was Vincent van Gogh. Floats took inspiration from the artist’s imagery and colors, and several floats depicted the artist’s self-portraits. Other float designs included a hedgehog and poppies taken from some of van Gogh’s iconic paintings. (1, 2)
Community Affair
Corso Zundert is a community affair. Twenty neighborhoods compete against each other to create the best float. A professional jury decides the winner. Work for the parade is entirely voluntary, and passion for Corso Zundert gets passed from generation to generation. (3)
Work on the floats begins during the summer in what is called the “corsotent”. Volunteers begin building the frame for their neighborhood’s float through processes like welding and paper-mache. There are some stipulations for the floats themselves. They can have maximum dimensions of nine meters (29.5 feet) high and 19 meters (62 feet) long. These dimensions were set in 1989. (3)
The floats can only use dahlia flowers as decoration. And each neighborhood has its own dahlia field, which is tended by members of the community. The gardeners, usually elderly community members, plant and tend the dahlias until they are ready for the float. (3)
Just a few days before the parade, volunteers start attaching dahlias to the floats. Each float uses about half a million dahlias. Volunteers work day and night to decorate the floats and ensure that they are perfect for Corso Zundert. (3)
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Weekend of Parades and Parties
The parade is always held on the first Sunday of September, and tens of thousands of people visit to see the parade. The parade itself is just one part of the celebration. The town of Zundert is one big party with music and theater performances on both Sunday and Monday. And local bars and restaurants get in on the fun, offering activities and special deals. (4)
With all of the hard work put into the amazing Vincent van Gogh floats, only one neighborhood could win. The announcement of the victor was a visibly emotional experience, with members of the winning neighborhood celebrating in the streets. The winning float depicted one of van Gogh’s self-portraits and included flower sculptures that opened and closed mechanically. For those who didn’t win, there was a party that night to take their minds off of the loss. And Corso Zundert doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, so there is always next year. (3)