Welcome to Wassenaar Weekly, your English-language roundup of local news, events and community updates. Here is what happened in Wassenaar this week.
Wassenaar residents enjoy free weekend at Duinrell
Wassenaar residents enjoyed free admission to Duinrell amusement park on 7 and 8 November, reviving a local tradition that had disappeared years ago.
The initiative followed an article published by Wassenaarders.nl in June 2025, recalling how former park owner Count Hugo van Zuylen used to offer residents a free day as a gesture of thanks for putting up with the traffic and disruption caused by visitors.
Local councillor Maria Bellekom-Vogels of Lokaal Wassenaar took up the idea and raised it with the municipal council. Discussions with Duinrell director Count Philip van Zuylen eventually led to the free weekend.
The event proved popular with residents of all ages, although queues at the entrance sometimes lasted almost an hour.
There was also some confusion about registration and identification requirements, particularly for children. Despite these difficulties, visitors welcomed the return of the tradition.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the free weekend will be repeated in 2027.
Sinterklaas gift campaign calls for donations
Wassenaar residents can donate presents to the annual Sintvoorieder1 campaign, which helps children growing up in families experiencing financial difficulties.
From Monday 16 to Friday 20 November, regional broadcaster Centraal+ will organise a week of live radio and television programmes to collect gifts for children aged up to 18.
Donations can be dropped off at the broadcaster’s temporary studio in De Kruispuntkerk, Schoolstraat 2 in Voorschoten. Wassenaar residents can also leave presents at the public library on Langstraat during opening hours.
The Sintvoorieder1 foundation aims to distribute 45,000 Sinterklaas gift packages to children living in poverty this year.
Broadcasts run daily from 7.00 am to 7.00 pm, with the final total of donated gifts expected to be announced on Friday afternoon.
More information and live coverage are available at www.centraalplus.nl.
Illuminated bicycle parade returns for fifth edition
Wassenaar’s annual Fietslichtjesparade (Illuminated Bicycle Parade) returns on Thursday 26 November for its fifth edition.
Cyclists of all ages are invited to decorate their bicycles with colourful lights and join a festive seven-kilometre ride through Wassenaar.
Participants can gather from 5.30 pm at the Van Heeckerenhuis, where decorating materials will be available. The parade starts at approximately 6.30 pm.
The route includes a stop for hot chocolate, while the best-decorated bicycle will receive a prize. Music will be provided by a DJ riding a specially equipped cargo bike.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
The event is organised by Fietsersbond Wassenaar, with support from Fit in Wassenaar.
Archive documents discovered in open container near town hall
Historical records and potentially sensitive documents have been found in an open container near Wassenaar’s town hall, Raadhuis De Paauw.
The discovery was made by residents searching for a missing memorial wreath. Instead, they found books bearing archive stamps, handwritten civil registration records and salary administration documents. Some of the material had reportedly already been taken away by members of the public.
Wassenaarders.nl reported the discovery and contacted the municipality, which has launched an investigation into how the documents ended up in the container.
Regional asylum agreement raises questions in Wassenaar
Wassenaar will continue to accommodate significantly more asylum seekers than required under Dutch asylum distribution legislation, following an agreement with four neighbouring municipalities.
Under the arrangement, Wassenaar will provide asylum accommodation at Duinrell on behalf of Rijswijk, Westland, Leidschendam-Voorburg and Pijnacker-Nootdorp. In return, the other municipalities will take over responsibilities for housing recognised refugees and accommodating displaced Ukrainians.
The reception centre is expected to have 930 places in 2027, falling to 890 in 2028 and 590 from 2029. This remains well above the 150 places originally envisaged in Wassenaar’s coalition agreement.
According to the municipal executive, the arrangement will ease pressure on the local social housing market. Neighbouring municipalities will take over responsibility for housing almost 250 recognised refugees over five years, although it remains unclear how many additional homes this will make available to Wassenaar residents.
The agreement also brings additional government funding. Wassenaar expects to receive approximately €1.3 million in 2027 and €1.24 million in 2028, followed by €825,000 annually from 2029. Further grants and a one-off contribution are also included.
The plans have drawn criticism from residents and opposition parties, particularly because the reception centre will remain much larger than initially anticipated. The municipal executive says the arrangement is permitted under the coalition agreement.
The council is expected to discuss the plans on 24 November before the municipality submits its final arrangements to the province.
Theater Warenar announces upcoming performances
Theater Warenar in Wassenaar has a varied programme of theatre, comedy, music and dance lined up for the coming weeks.
Several performances have already sold out, including Afternoon Jazz on 15 November, the PubQuiz on 19 November and comedian Sjaak Bral’s year-end show Vaarwel 2026 on 26 November.
The Ballet Studio Den Haag’s three performances of Midnight Masquerade on 28 November are also sold out.
Families can look forward to Pip en Pelle, a winter-themed children’s show on Sunday 29 November at 2.00 pm.
On Wednesday 2 December, musician Ed Struijlaart will present Gitaarmannen 4: Continuum, a show centred on the guitar.
Brothers Roel and Jos Maalderink will bring their comedy show Verbroedering to the theatre on 9 December, followed by Zeg maar U by the Van Arkel brothers on 11 December.
Dance company Creating Art Productions will perform Finding Neverland on Sunday 13 December, with shows at noon, 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm.
Tickets are still available for selected performances. Full programme details can be found at www.warenar.nl.
Stay connected
That’s it for this week’s Wassenaar Weekly. Follow Wassenaarders.nl for more local news, events and stories from Wassenaar.
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See you next week!
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