Did somebody just say, redhead? How much do you know about the ginger gatherings around the world?
From Prince Harry to the fictional character Pippi Longstocking, gingers are awesome and loved by many. With fire-coloured hair, pale freckled skin, and bright eyes appearance, these people bring warmth and cordiality everywhere they show up.
Moreover, can you imagine the bonhomie atmosphere when you have thousands of redheaded in one place? In this article, we want to introduce you to a few redheads’ festivals around the world.
The annual festival of redheads, which takes place in the Netherlands, is the largest redhead festival. Every 1st weekend of September in Breda, near Rotterdam, is the quintessential gathering for redheads from all over the world, known as Roodharigendag.
This 3-days ginger gathering is one of the most unique festivals in the Netherlands. Many family-friendly activities are included. Exhibitions, fashion show, workshop, and before all a photoshoot with all over 6000 attendees.
The occasional leader of this gathering, artist Bart Rouwenhorst, is a blonde without a single ginger hair on his head. He was inspired by artists such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Gustav Klimt, who painted red-haired women. In 2005 Rouwenhorst placed an ad in the newspaper asking 15 natural red-haired women to model.
150 people responded to this ad. He then arranged a lottery where the lucky winner was chosen as a model. Nowadays, all these dynamics are considered the birthday of the Redhead Day festivals.
Twelve years later, what began as a small gathering has now become a major event, attended by more than 5,000 people from more than 80 countries. While several similar festivals have appeared in other regions, Breda is vying for the title of the original and largest.
The weekend festival is free to attend and you don’t have to be redheaded – friends, family and fans are welcome. Photographers set up tents throughout the city, ready to do individual photo shoots.
There are sessions for quick meetings, art exhibitions, fashion shows, high-heeled competitions, lectures on the history of red hair, Irish whiskey tasting and beauty lessons. An assortment of food trucks parked around the castle square prepared to feed the hungry, and the elderly can quench their thirst on Saturday night.
In 2015, the last time the official census was conducted, 1,721 redheads dressed in blue were included in the group picture, breaking their own Guinness World Record from 2013 of 1,672 redheads in one place.
In the same fashion in 2013 Redhead Festival was held in the US.
During the gathering, participants tried to beat the world record for a photo with the most redheads.
This was the first event of its kind in the United States.
If you choose Redhead Days as a holiday destination from Ireland to Brazil is a cool list of red destinations, at any time of the year, all dates TBC.
January – January 12: worldwide annual ‘Kiss a Ginger Day‘. Join over 100 redheads at ‘The White Bear’ pub in London.
March – March 17: Attend a local ‘St. Patrick’s Day celebration. All over the world Irish communities are dressing in green and celebrate on this day. Rome, (Atlanta) Georgia, the USA is the ‘Ginger Pride Walk‘.
April – ‘The Ginger Pride’ organized by Redheads & Nearly Ginger Association, Melbourne.
May – ‘RossItalia’ Milan, Italy, normally is the last Sunday of May. Since 2013 Portland, USA ‘Redhead’ event tries to set the world record of most redheads in one place, always accompanied by Irish music and other festivities. ‘Festival des Ch’tis roux’ Arras, France.
June – ‘Redhead Days‘ Breda affiliate Chicago. Highlights of the festival: the carrot cake competition and the group photo of the largest redhead gathering in the USA. ‘Redhead‘ Sicily, Italy is usually in June.
August – Ireland, Crosshaven ‘Redhead Convention‘. The USA, Milwaukee Irish Fest in August, with three days of Keltic music and dance, and a Redhead freckles contest for 0-12-year-olds. UK, Plymouth, gingers ‘The Gathering’ new indoor event, just for the fun of it, celebrating red hair together! The “Red Love” Festival in the western French city of Chateaugiron.
Also in August is Nashville, ‘Tomato Art Fest’, big cultural festival since 2004 that honors the color of the tomato: red. Everyone with ‘tomato red hair’ is welcome, genuine, or not!
September – Normally in the first weekend in Netherland, Breda, is heald the founding Redhead Day fiesta ‘Roodharigendag‘. In 2019 the ‘Roodharigendag‘ it moved its (red) roots to nearby Tilburg, and the words are that in 2021 will be also there. ‘Redhead Day‘ London, UK. Feast, women, ginger hairs, dance, music, summer, hot, tambourine in the ‘Red Week’. Redhead festival that celebrates all things red, held in Izhevsk, Russia. ‘Redhead Days’ Germany, in Hamburg. ‘Ruivos Mania’, Porto Alegre, Brazil. The Canadian Redhead day ‘Rassemblement de Roux‘ is an annual event and normally is held in Ontario at fall.
October – ‘Night of the Walking Red’, Troy, New York, USA. ‘The League of Extraordinary Redheads’ members organizes gatherings and parties since 2013, all year round, creating the Capital of Redheads, Troy.
We don’t know if there is a festival for blondes, but every year there are many festivals for redheads. And every time thousands of participants flock, whose scarlet hair turns the event into a fire extravaganza.
Gingers are beautiful. To be surrounded by fire-hair together with music, picnics, fun, laugh, this is an amazing time to look forward to. Traditionally, more and more people flock to a sea of red hairstyles.
Likewise, to celebrate and drum up together even more ginger events have been held across the globe. Some are no longer around, but others are just starting, so the ginger gatherings are here to stay.
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