At Arcadia in Friesland it erupts for a hundred days
We're off! Who? We! Well, the whole of Friesland is loose. Not a silly party, nope: it will be going wild for a hundred days Arcadia in Friesland. The (inter)national cultural event started on May 6 and will last until, yes, August 14. These spectacular hundred days are entirely dedicated to our planet. Goodbye boring lectures, hello performances, performances and more culture!
At Arcadia in Friesland it erupts for a hundred days with the question 'What kind of world do you want to live in?'.
Aha, to fully understand it we have to go back a few years. To 2018 to be precise. And you may remember it, but in 2018 Leeuwarden was chosen as the Cultural Capital of Europe. This was due, for example, to their own language, many museums and special traditions (think Elfstedentocht). It has now been a few years, but the decor has been rebuilt in a grand manner for the first edition of Arcadia. And what exactly is Arcadia? Friesland is transformed into a province full of cultural events. And do we stay within Friesland? nope, both international and national talent participates. It is certain that it will be busy and fun.
You can't imagine anything crazy and it's there. A walking forest in Leeuwarden? Check. Performing arts festival? Present. And for countless exhibitions and performances, you should definitely be in Friesland. You can immediately add a visit to Leeuwarden and the surrounding area, because that is also worth it. We will also give you some tips at the end of this article.
And that opening weekend recently? That was the starting signal for the next hundred days. There were great celebrations and celebrations on May 6 and 7. For example, it kicked off with Expedition Next, the National Science Festival for children in Franeker. Because our planet is also important for the kids and in a playful way they can get there as early as possible. You can first go to the science festival and then to the illuminated globe Gaia, with a diameter of seven meters. The globe shows the Earth as it is visible from the moon. This traveling work of art by British artist Luke Jerram can be seen in various places in Friesland until August 14. Because kids, this is our only planet, how do we pass it on to future generations?
When we are in Friesland, we also want to see nature. That is also possible in Leeuwarden. Bosk is the project you need to be at and one of Arcadia's largest projects. A walking forest of more than 1.000 trees, which walk through the city center of Leeuwarden in a hundred days and literally turn the city green. This 'walking' forest gives trees, and thus nature, a voice. In addition, events are also organized around Bosk. Extra fun: they are still looking for volunteers to move the trees and you don't have to be Frisian for that.
When we have seen nature, city and museums, there is still one thing missing from the list: the ice rinks. Arcadia beat you to the project IIS. So ice cream is not to be missed in the lives of the Frisians. And when a Frisian sees that it is about to freeze, he takes his skates from the attic and, voila, young and old go to the ice rink. Connecting the ice rinks, but today we are facing a climate crisis. Ice rinks are changing and 'how can we be in good weather?'. That is central to IIS, sometimes on the ice rinks and sometimes outside of it. The kick-off of IIS is the performance Under Wetter, about winter days. It takes place on the ice rink where actors, dancers, musicians and extras tell the story of the Kingma family. All IIS projects are made from Frisian mienskip (community).
Had IIS? Paradises is also highly recommended during Arcadia. For that you have to go to Oranjewoud. You won't regret it, because Oranjewoud is definitely worth it thanks to its beautiful nature. You can visit works of art by 15 (inter)national top artists while walking or cycling. They often present new work. Be sure to take a look at the colorful artwork by Isa van Lier and the sound work by Em'kal Eyongakpa.
And we're not done recommending yet. FORCING is the program of no fewer than twelve young makers. On this website stands when these young makers take the stage.
In Leeuwarden you will of course find the Fries Museum, an ode to the Frisian landscape. The exhibition Fertile Grounds is your first stop there, because our typical Frisian landscape has been shaped by man: the peat meadow area was once excavated for peat. Christien Meindertsma asked the question: 'how can we use the countryside in such a way that farmers, land and animals flourish?'. You can then return to the ground floor for the exhibition Swiet –Swit in the hall, where various edible plants grow in water containers. Here too you look at the landscape in a different way.
Also nice in the Fries Museum: the large exhibition In the countryside about the influence of French light in nineteenth-century painting.
For the international performing arts festival PAFFF you have less time to visit it, but that does not make it any less attractive. There will be various performing arts performances from May 27 to June 19. Urgent and innovative, that's what it's all about. The work of artists such as Philippe Quesne and Doris Uhlich is central when we think about the generations after us.
And then this one (okay, really the last tip): Rimini Protokoll makes a unique Frisian version of their moving theater performance Role. Depiction x road movie. This means a moving theater with life stories of truck drivers working in the globalized dairy industry.
For more information about Arcadia, visit the website Visit Friesland or on that of Arcadia.
And how nice is it to combine Arcadia with this Frisian capital. We already have one there list for our site, but we mention a few places especially for Arcadia. It Post Plaza hotel is the perfect base for this dose of culture. It Nature Museum Fryslân and a search for all kinds of miniature dolls around the city are highly recommended kids. For a hearty vegan lunch Dr. Plant de place to be. In the evening it is In The Brewery je spot. This is a hotel, café, restaurant and beer brewery and there is live music every Friday and Saturday evening. Oh Ljouwert, it's beautiful!
