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HOUSTON — You hear them before you see them. Pulsing techno beats and chorusing chants pierce the air over the distinct background thrum generated by a massive crowd.
When you see them, it is like witnessing the tail end of a sunrise. Suddenly everything is awash in brilliant orange, a scene teeming with life as people of all ages and sizes join together in one of global soccer’s most famous spectacles.
Ahead of the World Cup clash between the Netherlands and Sweden on Saturday, June 20, thousands of soccer fans gathered on Rice University’s campus to take part in the Oranje Fanwalk, a 2½-mile march to NRG Stadium.
“Total chaos,” said Roy de Grus, who traveled with a group of friends from the Netherlands to the U.S. for the World Cup. “I think it’s amazing to see so many people together and bring so much passion.”
The beloved Dutch soccer tradition gained worldwide fame during the 1974 World Cup in West Germany, when more than 40,000 fans attended every match wearing orange, the color of the Dutch royal family.
The Netherlands’ Oranjegekte, or “orange craze,” actually originated in the 1930s when people flooded the streets to celebrate the monarchy, and has since evolved to become a collective expression of national unity during major sporting events. Now organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), the fan march involves double-decker buses and is a globally recognized phenomenon.
In Houston, participants streamed in from surrounding neighborhoods to join the orange sea. Some locals wore Astros or Dynamo jerseys pulled from their closets, while others donned Netherlands national team uniforms. Elaborate costumes and orange face paint abounded. Some attendees were soccer fans, while others said they were just there for the spectacle.
Mark Royer, a high school soccer coach from Iowa who attended the last World Cup on American soil in 1994, traveled to Houston for Saturday’s game. He and his friend, Ron Welshiemer, used foam to construct replica buses, which they wore as hats.
“It’s kind of just one of those bucket list things. I’m not going to miss this opportunity ever,” Royer said. “To see all the videos and now be a part of it, it’s one of those things that you’ll never forget.”
The party began far before the march. Twin double-decker buses, shipped over from the Netherlands to the U.S. one month before the World Cup began, parked at the head of the crowd. From the top of one bus, a Dutch DJ sandwiched recognizable hits like “We Like to Party!” by the Dutch Eurodance group Vengaboys around traditional stadium anthems.
“There is no deeper meaning,” Arjen Fekken explained with a grin. “The songs are all about love and partying.”
Fekken and his friend Erik Hager had arrived one day earlier from the Netherlands and were participating in their first Oranje Walk. Fekken’s orange cowboy hat purchased for the occasion didn’t fit in his suitcase, so he wore it on the plane. They were surprised at the number of American fans who turned up for the march but said they were mainly there to “party and be proud of our country.”
Matt and Suzanne Bourque, Houston residents who previously lived for three years in the Netherlands, were excited to experience the tradition again in Texas.
“We loved it there because the Dutch have a very welcoming culture, and this is another example of that,” Suzzane Bourque said.
Subtlety and seriousness are not encouraged. Paul Hirschel and Caroline Dessing, from the Dutch city of Rotterdam, were attending their eighth World Cup. They dressed up as orange versions of the Statue of Liberty, complete with face paint that was already melting off in the Texas summer heat.
“It stands for freedom for democracy, for international friendship, and those are all the values that we highly estimate,” Dessing said. “Everything is sort of silly and without much meaning, but it’s just about partying and having fun together, that’s it.”
When the buses finally roared to life and inched down the road, children climbed into the live oak trees for a better view. Americans and Europeans mingled and streamed along behind the buses, waving flags and singing. The match was still three hours away, but the party was only just beginning.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Netherlands World Cup fans do 'Oranje Walk' in Houston before game vs. Sweden
Continue reading...
When you see them, it is like witnessing the tail end of a sunrise. Suddenly everything is awash in brilliant orange, a scene teeming with life as people of all ages and sizes join together in one of global soccer’s most famous spectacles.
Ahead of the World Cup clash between the Netherlands and Sweden on Saturday, June 20, thousands of soccer fans gathered on Rice University’s campus to take part in the Oranje Fanwalk, a 2½-mile march to NRG Stadium.
“Total chaos,” said Roy de Grus, who traveled with a group of friends from the Netherlands to the U.S. for the World Cup. “I think it’s amazing to see so many people together and bring so much passion.”
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The beloved Dutch soccer tradition gained worldwide fame during the 1974 World Cup in West Germany, when more than 40,000 fans attended every match wearing orange, the color of the Dutch royal family.
The Netherlands’ Oranjegekte, or “orange craze,” actually originated in the 1930s when people flooded the streets to celebrate the monarchy, and has since evolved to become a collective expression of national unity during major sporting events. Now organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), the fan march involves double-decker buses and is a globally recognized phenomenon.
In Houston, participants streamed in from surrounding neighborhoods to join the orange sea. Some locals wore Astros or Dynamo jerseys pulled from their closets, while others donned Netherlands national team uniforms. Elaborate costumes and orange face paint abounded. Some attendees were soccer fans, while others said they were just there for the spectacle.
Mark Royer, a high school soccer coach from Iowa who attended the last World Cup on American soil in 1994, traveled to Houston for Saturday’s game. He and his friend, Ron Welshiemer, used foam to construct replica buses, which they wore as hats.
“It’s kind of just one of those bucket list things. I’m not going to miss this opportunity ever,” Royer said. “To see all the videos and now be a part of it, it’s one of those things that you’ll never forget.”
The party began far before the march. Twin double-decker buses, shipped over from the Netherlands to the U.S. one month before the World Cup began, parked at the head of the crowd. From the top of one bus, a Dutch DJ sandwiched recognizable hits like “We Like to Party!” by the Dutch Eurodance group Vengaboys around traditional stadium anthems.
“There is no deeper meaning,” Arjen Fekken explained with a grin. “The songs are all about love and partying.”
Fekken and his friend Erik Hager had arrived one day earlier from the Netherlands and were participating in their first Oranje Walk. Fekken’s orange cowboy hat purchased for the occasion didn’t fit in his suitcase, so he wore it on the plane. They were surprised at the number of American fans who turned up for the march but said they were mainly there to “party and be proud of our country.”
Matt and Suzanne Bourque, Houston residents who previously lived for three years in the Netherlands, were excited to experience the tradition again in Texas.
“We loved it there because the Dutch have a very welcoming culture, and this is another example of that,” Suzzane Bourque said.
Subtlety and seriousness are not encouraged. Paul Hirschel and Caroline Dessing, from the Dutch city of Rotterdam, were attending their eighth World Cup. They dressed up as orange versions of the Statue of Liberty, complete with face paint that was already melting off in the Texas summer heat.
“It stands for freedom for democracy, for international friendship, and those are all the values that we highly estimate,” Dessing said. “Everything is sort of silly and without much meaning, but it’s just about partying and having fun together, that’s it.”
When the buses finally roared to life and inched down the road, children climbed into the live oak trees for a better view. Americans and Europeans mingled and streamed along behind the buses, waving flags and singing. The match was still three hours away, but the party was only just beginning.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Netherlands World Cup fans do 'Oranje Walk' in Houston before game vs. Sweden
Continue reading...
