THE BIGGEST FUNFAIR IN THE NETHERLANDS (tilburgse kermis 2023)

In this episode, Michelle and Alex visit Tilburg and the Tilburg Funfair (Kermis) -- a 4.5 kilometer (~3 mile) festival -- for the first time on Roze Mandaag (Pink Monday), a day to celebrate with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies.
Episode 79 · Filmed on July 24, 2023 · Tilburg, the Netherlands
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0:00 Introduction
0:27 Roze Mandaag parade (Pink Monday)
1:14 Eetbar De Wagon (lunch)
1:33 What is the Tilburg Funfair (Kermis)?
2:15 Back to Eetbar De Wagon
3:36 A CAT (and what's next?)
4:16 Seeing the sights (LocHal, street art)
5:52 History of the Tilburg Funfair
6:20 Starting the fair with some skeeball
6:53 Potato tornado!
7:38 We got our drivers license!
7:59 Ferris wheel (how BIG is this fair?!)
8:30 HAUNTED CASTLE (scary)
9:08 Tompouce oliebollen?!
10:09 Broodje beenham
11:38 Michelle attempts archery
12:10 Thoughts on the Funfair (kermis)?
12:53 Wrap up
#expatlife #netherlands #tilburg #kermis #kermis2023
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WHO IS BUNCHARTED?
We're Michelle and Alex, a travel-obsessed American couple living abroad in the Netherlands.
In 2020, we quit our jobs to travel the world, and... yeah, that didn't happen. So in 2022, we decided to make an even BIGGER change, packing up our lives (and our cats 🐈), moving from Austin, Texas, to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. Subscribe for new videos like this every week!

[@jackvandersluis1723]

Pink Monday, Tilburg is great! If you can visit the Canal Parade on Saturday in Amsterdam, greatest show on earth! Tilburg fair, so great! 👍

[@Mesmancer]

Tilburg heeft ook een uitstekende concertzaal 013. Ook vlak bij het station. Heb daar onder andere Porcupine Tree zien optreden.

[@InfiniteCyclus]

It's a fun dynamic to see you guys exploring our country and our replies to your videos. I can imagine that without youtube it would be less fun.

[@buncharted]

it definitely makes us go out more and not just sit on the couch sometimes 😂

[@George-zv6yy]

Nice to see you two having so much fun. You should go to Amsterdam’s pride fest this week , Tuesday through Sunday the 6th of August. Five years ago 13:32 I saw tens of thousands of people all over the old town and boating along in hundreds of boats packed to the gills. Biggest street/canal party I’ve ever seen and it is for everyone.

[@Joep_Verstappen-67]

Good one..😌

[@wavybray]

Roze Maandag! Loved this last year. Ty Allies! 🌈

[@013d3nn1s]

I live and grew up in Tilburg, and as a kid i remember this as the coolest 10 days of the year. Each year i (most kids) got an allowance just to spent on the funfair. and you hang with friends around on the funfair.

[@mhjmstultiens]

Hi Buncharted, when you're up for another kermis/fun fair, I'd like you to invite to our wonderful kermis in Weert. It's the biggest kermis after Tilburg. Gezellig, groot en betaalbaar. :) The funfair is always held in the last weekend/week of september. I would recommend a visit in the evening as it's quite a spectacle after the sun goes down. And I'm sure there are some great kermis snacks (including a lot from Germany) as well. ;)

[@rianvandenhoof4124]

Tilburg is where I was born and raised. (just around of the corner near the railway, so just 2 hundred meters from the Kermis). Lovely to see people enjoy the fun, food and all the Kermis has to offer.

[@saskiapanter]

Poffertjes, the mini pamcakes. Tilburg MY CITYYYYYY. Thanks for filming here on Roze Maandag 😊🩷

[@BOBSCOTTONLINE]

If you also WATCH other travel videos 🙂those potato stix are popular in Korea and maybe Japan too street food sights

[@gertstolk]

Thank you for celebrating Roze Maandag ❤🏳️‍🌈

[@Yochemm]

In Tilburg eten we friet!! Patat is een Aardappel.

[@user-xi6nk4xs4s]

Not just Tilburg. I think that goes for the biggest part, if not all of Noord Brabant.

[@toaojjc]

Broodje Beenham is a staple food at the kermis. Or poffertjes if they have a good plac. If you visit Tilburg next time, try also visiting my hometown Oisterwijk which is just a trainstation away. It made the top 5 most beautiful villages of the Netherlands in an election by ANWB a little while ago.

[@pmvdmeulen]

Good to see you're using the list I sent you. 👍 Can't wait to see you do the rest.. TongTong fair Indonesian The Hague is coming up soon.

[@stuartallen8760]

One for the list next year! Many thanks😎

[@buncharted]

enjoy!

[@LM-v8x-1104]

I also went to the Roze Maandag (Pink Monday) this year. I used to go to the carnivals in Zealand (that’s where I come from) but those are nothing compared to the Tilburgse Kermis!

[@neuron82]

I visited the fair to last week. Was very fun! Also lots of great bars over there

[@Perriax]

Welcome to Tilburg 😉

[@aardbei07]

the sauce on the white bunny is called BOLLIE SAUS,mainly sold to horeca/cafetaria its a honey mustard sauce

[@user-xi6nk4xs4s]

Besides smoked eel (which somebody else already mentioned), traditionally kaneel- (cinnamon) en zuurstokken (raspberry or cherry usually) were a big thing as well. I would have liked to mention the dropstok (licorice) as well, but I don't think you would really enjoy these ;o).

[@Persei1]

You see Broodje Beenham a lot in Brabant en Limburg and also in parts of Belgium and Germany.

[@renate2068]

idea: do restaurant reviews in your neighborhood (or choose a dish and get it from different suppliers and rate it)

[@thesillypig785]

Fun fact: nearly all cities and towns in Brabant have a fair once a year. Even the really small towns and offcourse the fair is very small too.

[@BabzV]

9:44 pudding broodje, so good. 🤤

[@Dutchbelg3]

Hey Alex and Michelle, I bet just the people-watching is great on the Roze Maandag Kermis. So many people celebrating diversity 🙂 I love that!

[@xanderlangschmidt8986]

Kudos for your every week improving Dutch.

[@piusx906]

i'm from Tilburg and i'm glad you two liked it.

[@nyoko2926]

Love seing you having such a good time. Tilburg is a very special city when it comes to lhbtiq+, on pink monday. Besides the 'kermis' side, it is a place and symbol for freedom of love. I remember visiting in 2003, for the first time, and I realised that I wasn't straight. Going out there was really a liberisation. Keep up with your nice videos!

[@macbosch64]

Your “oliebol tompouce” reminds me of a special edition of the common “puddingbroodje” which you can buy at the bakery or the grocery.

[@Rologeert]

What maybe a good tip for you guys is, is to buy a museumkaart. That way you can visit almost all the museums in the Netherlands for 65 euros, and spice up your dutch city trips.

[@buncharted]

thanks! we aren't really museum people though

[@TWolf317]

A couple of the first Dutch words I learned were "Kermis" and "Pretpark". Both seem to be very popular.

[@DJWezzyK]

It is not 4,5 kilometers. It is only 2,5 kilometers. Dusseldorf is 4,5 kilometers and much bigger. And the fair was 3 kilometers long before they scrapped Koningsplein and Besterd. (They used to do the nostalgic where the Bierhal is now). So, the Tilburg fair never was 4,5 kilometers long.

[@bramvanderklaauw434]

I love your vlogs they're so nice to watch!

[@GoliathAngelus]

The history of the funfair Tilburgse Kermis is much older !! It started in the year 1567 !!

[@lennartvers1767]

A good leisure and cultural option are the famous "Mosselfeesten van Yerseke" from the 16th until the 19th of august. Which also has a kermis on the side. So imagine long tables with mountains of mussel shells beside them, shedloads of mussels on the table in black pans and lashings of beer that both probably will leave the same way as it went in after having some after dinner fairground fun. But after that you have room for more mussels and beer again, so the beat goes on. So there you have it. More than one reason to join in the fun that is this feast of shellfish abundance and maybe, if the weather allows it, you can catch some rays on the beach as well. Have fun wherever you go guys! Ps. throwing up your mussels on the beach is better than the street because at least you brought them back home. I do the same thing with my used matchsticks. I go to the middle of a forest and throw the used matchsticks amongst the bushes and trees while whispering with a trembling voice; "Its ok, you're home now". And although I feel the pain of leaving them behind in the woods every time. I always return home knowing that what I did was the right thing.

[@buncharted]

i do love mosselen 🤤

[@Paul_C]

Tilburg, probably for me the best city in the Netherlands... Basically I grew out of my diapers there. The birthplace of most of my family. And no, I wasn't born there, they moved to Eindhoven before I was born; conceived there, apparently so.

[@Mdgd63]

You gave us already an idea where to go next. The Waddeneilanden. My favourite is Terschelling, but i don"t have seen them all. The fun is that you are lose from the mainland and that you get already a holiday feeling when you step on the ferry towards the islands!

[@buddy1155]

I know you have not seen Schiermonnikoog, that is hands down the best island.

[@freekdacosta8076]

Next year more. It goes on for 10 days. Perhaps you can stay for a weekend or three days, so you can see it all.

[@nicoanker1343]

I am sure you have to visit Brielle or Oudewater. Those places are very beautiful.

[@StefanCreates]

Oudewater is very close to me, I should cycle there ^^ Thanks for the tip :)

[@ramonamaramis]

Ahh i had a blast enjoying the Roze Maandag through your eyes😁. Broodje beenham is usually sold at Kings day, fairs and other usually outdoor events and festivals. My go to snack at a kermis is actually very ordinary but never fails imo: patat or/and poffertjes😊

[@buncharted]

there really isn't a bad fair food here!

[@lions9505]

Ooooo nice, there used to be an area of really old and original kermis attractions (like tarrotcard reading and weird ass things in preserved liquids) that were also priced like it was back in the day .25c etc, not sure if it's still around. Also ALOT of celebrations and parties going on, which hopefully you've seen. Great to see you visit Tilburg and the kermis. For a next trip I would love to advice you to go and see a flower parade (called bloemencorso) where wagons have been decorated entirely with flowers and they do a parade along a route. It's really cool and a must-see. You have them in different cities. There is one in Valkenswaard on the 10th of september for instance.

[@buncharted]

i think the old attractions are still there and we missed them 😭

[@leojonkers3181]

I loved the cat :)

[@ialrakis5173]

Not chaotic at all. Love this video format. Had jackfruit 'pulled pork' for the first time about a month ago, very pleasant experience. The beenham sandwich isn't a thing on a kermis in Belgium but I can totally agree with your opinion. Think I had some in Gent if I'm not mistaken with all local products, brilliant.

[@MrHaagsesjonny1]

Splendid weather, indeed, graces the charming city of Tilburg. But my dear Michelle and Alex I find myself inquisitive as to your present pursuits amidst a notable exodus of half of the Dutch populace, who are currently reserving summer excursions to the bloody hot southern regions of Europe, seeking refuge from the persistent inclement "Hollandse klere-weer!!"😂

[@buncharted]

we decided to stick around - the weather isn't that bad 😄

[@kingmickey666]

Suikerspin (sugar spider, candyfloss) is the most common thing to eat at a fair. I still love it.

[@buncharted]

i get the appeal but it’s not for me! funny how many names it has - in the US, it’s cotton candy!

[@kingmickey666]

@@buncharted oh yeah that is what I meant to say! Google translate gave me candyfloss as an English translation. And it's mostly nostalgia for me :)

[@OsmosisHD]

Terschelling (My favorite island) and Vlieland (also alright) But.. the best part of that is you'll need to visit Harlingen, my hometown. Definitely worth staying there for a day

[@buncharted]

i think you’ll be pleased with our upcoming vlogs 😄

[@remizeeland3505]

Traditional kermis food used to be also smoked eel.

[@user-xi6nk4xs4s]

I sure was mine. Don't see it as much these days, and the prices are ridiculous.

[@frankgeurts3912]

Loc hal was build on the former biggest train maintenance in the Netherlands( NedTrain),

[@Rodejong]

Lol, that is my home town I grew up in.

[@NakedPigeon]

Ham sandwich = broodje Beenham

[@arjansnoek7257]

But I think he was asking for 'Broodje warmvlees' Wich is heated ham with sauce and sauteed onions on a bun. The sauce is often peanutsauce but could be any rich brown sauce

[@mariskavandasselaarofficial]

That looks like so much fun! And the tompouce-oliebol looks very tasty. Next time you're at the fair, you should try a suikerspin. Your teeth will fall out of your mouths, but it's definately worth a try.

[@buncharted]

it's called "cotton candy" in the US and it's a very popular fair food there as well! it's not really for me though - too sweet 😅

[@mariskavandasselaarofficial]

@@buncharted I was already wondering if it was something international. I agree that suikerspinnen are too sweet.

[@Paganstars]

Cool! You should’ve stayed till the night with all the lights. My wife and my favorite are cinnamon sticks (kaneelstokken)

[@H1SCOTTY]

Don’t know how good you can reach the street art but Tilburg has a piece who won this year most beautiful in the world. But it’s located at a garbage disposal facility. Guess lots off those pieces were made for the year the king celebrated kings day at Tilburg. Tilburg is known to be really raw and industrial, for me more beautiful and raw than Rotterdam (without the attitude), known for its textiles

[@groenekever]

i waz there in my pink dress :P doing that for years now

[@frankgeurts3912]

Biggest in Europe ❤

[@frankgeurts3912]

Should visit Breekx in the station,their sate is divine

[@ericdenissen1229]

another nice video and nice advertisement for tilburg the lochal is really nice i had bratwurst at the fair doeii

[@jaccovermeulen2762]

Broodje Beenham is really a broodje dat je op een kermis of braderie eet.

[@racingweirdo]

Try the find a bufkes when your in limburg or brabant, and order a "WERREM SJINK" thats a beenham sandwich on its best

[@devnull1013]

My kermis food is very basic, patatje speciaal. (mayo/curry/onions)

[@dylansworldofadventures]

❤😊

[@prairiepirate]

This looks like way too much fun. You really managed to convey the scope of the event. Honestly, that looks like more fun than a U.S. theme park.

[@Bunaliua]

It is the largest funfair in Europe!

[@meneersjonnie]

Goed bezig !😅

[@dahemper]

Shout out to my man, off-brand Luigi! Lets a go!

[@levent.a.7280]

How do you cope with the Dutch language? The Dutch are known to be bad at speaking English, it must be hard for you to communicate with people, and have you visited the neighbor countries Germany and Belgium? Great and informative video ,thank you.

[@buncharted]

well, we're learning dutch, so if we're in a pickle, we just stretch our limited dutch vocabulary to its limit 😅 but we haven't really experienced that too often - i'd say 9 out of every 10 dutch people we've interacted with speaks perfectly fine english! oh, and yes we've been to munich, berlin, and brussels so far :)

[@SuperEdwin61]

Michelle and Alex, you are nice guys but I love the cat 😅

[@buncharted]

we love the cat too ❤️❤️❤️

[@ericdenissen1229]

where in the house is the buncharted sign?

[@buncharted]

the buncharted set - you'll see it the next time we're in there :)

[@peterjaro6804]

Alex... I laughed SO much at you in this video. You REALLY had to look hard to find something pink among your clothing, didn't you? I'm the same... 99% of my clothing are black or very dark, but its just my style... and no; I am not a Goth!!!

[@buncharted]

i have exactly TWO pink shirts! 😅

[@ikke5212]

😉😊😊

[@tjay84]

Stoofvlees.. It’s a stew! 🤣

[@ilonkagootjes858]

That would be the same. 😊

[@peterf1]

#shouldbesponsored

[@YomijnMe]

Finally a American is producing a Netherlands 🇳🇱 😂

[@hunchbackaudio]

You got yourself a piemelknuffel, good job.

[@lowie267]

Your have diverent of ham smake

[@RAWDernison1]

25-27 August 2023. Redhead festival Tilburg, roze is fake.

[@Lady.AnnAmavi]

Lets give you a history lesson ( historynerd here, i work at a museum.. says enough 🫣🤪) a Broodje Beenham origanilly served with Brie and Honey is a very old tradition and was eating at every kind of celebration, From street performances to fun Fair but especially longer ago is was staple for people that came from church. As a little snack before dinner. In later times Sate Sauce became a thing in the netherlands and Brie was hard to get or we can also say Brie was for the ridge people. People started making it with Sate sauce and left Honey & brie out. Now a days it is a staple thing on the funfair ( or, as we say, Kermis ) . Al so fun fact.. it was also eaten with Cranberrysauce in the winter 😉 it used to be ( way before i was born, i am 42) a staple thing on Christmas markets. Sorry, i love hostory, and when someone says, " Can someone tell me?" I just can't resist myself from telling the history. 😊