Deventer’s Dickens Festival

Hark! The bells of Christmas past are ringing, and they’re beckoning you to the Dickens Festijn in Deventer! Imagine stepping into a world straight out of a Charles Dickens novel, where Scrooge is still grumpy and Oliver Twist is asking for more. Since 1991, every year, just before Christmas, the medieval Bergkwartier of Deventer transforms into a vibrant tableau of the 19th century, complete with Christmas Carol singers, weepy orphans, and even the occasional cheerful drunkard. It’s like a time machine, but with more festive hats!

Over 900 volunteers don Dickensian garb (from a whopping collection of 700 costumes) to bring to life the beloved characters from the pages of Dickens. Picture strolling through the historic streets where every nook and cranny echoes with the spirit of Victorian England. It’s not just a festival; it’s a grand, living, breathing novel! And with 120,000 visitors flocking each year, including a jolly bunch from abroad, the Dickens Festijn is more popular than a Christmas pudding on a cold winter’s night.

But wait, there’s more! Deventer isn’t just about reliving the classics. The Dickens weekend is also bustling with Christmas markets, concerts, and a whole gamut of yuletide cheer under the banner of ‘Deventer Kerststad.’ So, dust off your top hat or lace up your corset, and join the merriment where the past and present collide in the most delightfully Dickensian way. And who knows, you might just bump into Tiny Tim or find yourself singing a carol or two!