From 11 June to 11 July the Netherlands and the rest of the world will be swept up in the craze of the 2010 FIFA World Cup football championships being played in South Africa. In The Hague many streets, houses, restaurants and cafés will turn orange during the month of the World Cup. Not a problem but there are a few rules of the road!
If you decorate the street, be careful not to damage or (spray) paint the lampposts, benches, rubbish bins and trees.
Traffic and emergency services
Traffic and emergency service vehicles have to be able to access your street. If somebody needs to be taken to hospital or if there is a fire in your street, the fire brigade and ambulance have to be able to reach the area without any interference. Make sure to hang any decorations high enough to allow them to pass.
Household rubbish
The rubbish collection trucks have to be able to drive normally through your street. Make sure that the street decorations are hung up high enough to allow them to pass. Neighbourhoods with underground containers need to take care with street decorations as the trucks which empty the containers need a lot of space.
Fireproof decorations
Always use fireproof decorations. You can check the Dutch-language municipal website for information about fireproof World Cup decorations. The website of the fire brigade also has useful information and handy tips.
Cleaning up
Every party at some point has to come to an end. Hopefully for the Netherlands the World Cup party will last until the finals. The decorations in your street are allowed to remain hanging until 15 July. Please clean up any mess at the end of the day and help keep The Hague clean.
If the municipality has to incur the costs of cleaning up decorations or repairing any damage, those responsible will be presented with the bill.
For more information visit the Dutch-language municipal website.