The Holland Festival will be returning to Long Beach for its 32nd iteration, for what the United Netherlands Organization says is the largest gathering of Dutch Americans in the nation.
The event will feature vendors, Heineken craft beer, Dutch and Indo Dutch food, dancing, live music and more.
“Back in the day, we had different Dutch organizations and social clubs and they all did their own thing,” said festival organizer Jeff Keasberry. “And then we said, ‘Well, why don’t we just work together once a year at least, come together and volunteer to make something like this?’”
The nonprofit United Netherlands Organization is an amalgamation of various Dutch clubs throughout Southern California. The goal of the festival is to bring together Dutch Americans across the state and nation to celebrate their heritage.
Keasberry has been involved in planning the festival for the past twelve years, and was the youngest organizer when he joined in 2010.
“[The festival] was organized by the first wave of immigrants post World War II and they were getting older,” Keasberry said. “The whole thing about cultural heritage was on the line and they needed fresh blood and I thought, ‘Why not join the team and make sure that the younger generations get this every year as well?’”
According to a 1987 article by the LA Times, the largest numbers of Dutch immigrants arrived in Southern California in 1948 and 1949, when the Netherlands was recovering from the economic devastation caused by World War II.
Keasberry said he’s seen up to four generations of Dutch Americans represented at the Holland Festival.
“The fun thing that I see is that it’s a generational event,” Keasberry said. “It’s a family picnic and a reunion among friends. Family can come from different states.”
The Holland Festival will be held at Gemmrig Park (7390 E. Carson St.) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 4. Tickets can be purchased for $11.71 on Eventbrite or for $10 cash only in-person the day of the festival. If tickets are purchased online be sure to print them and bring them to the festival.
Children ages 12 and under are free. Dogs are not permitted at the festival. Attendees can park at El Dorado Park for $8.
