THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The movement of 40 miles of orange flags and a hammer driving a nail into the wall to hold up orange tarpaulins are the sounds of a Dutch summer of football on a normally drab suburban street in The Hague.
The Marktweg is one of several streets in the Netherlands that receive a sweeping orange paint job during the European Championships and World Cups, when the national team – known as Oranje, named after the Dutch royal family and the color of their shirts – look to add to the Euro which he won 36 years ago.
During the two months leading up to Euro 2024, which starts on Friday in Germany, a dedicated team of up to 10 volunteers – more at weekends – have been decorating its streets, creating not just an orange overload but also a sense of of community.
Houses are covered with orange tarps and banners, street lights and trees are wrapped in orange, trash containers are – you guessed it – orange, while trash cans are red, white and blue, the colors equally patriotic signs of the Dutch flag.
Even a team of municipal employees fit in, decked out in high-visibility orange uniforms.
Macho Vink, a 35-year-old truck driver, is in a cherry picker banging nails into the walls of houses to secure tarpaulins that cover the entire length of the street.
“It’s time for a big party,” he said. “Get some positivity back,” he added as the driver of a passing car honked his horn and gave a thumbs up.
The decorations first appeared on the streets during Euro 1988 – where the Netherlands won their only major football tournament – in West Germany.
Danny van Dijk, one of the driving forces behind the decoration, said it has since gotten bigger and better, with sponsorship from local businesses now helping to foot the bill.
“It all started as a joke – hanging a ball with text on it from a tree,” Van Dijk told the Associated Press.
But the idea of the ball quickly turned into what has become arguably the most orange place on the planet, although some other equally richly decorated Dutch streets also seek to claim that honor.
“The neighbors liked it, we liked it and now every two years we put up scaffolding and cherry pickers to decorate the street,” said Van Dijk.
The decoration attracts visitors to the street, but also allows neighbors to get to know each other.
“You meet other people, chat. Children like it, people like it. It really brings people together,” she added.
And as soon as the tournament is over for the Dutch team – Van Dijk hopes this year it will be with captain Virgil van Dijk, no relation, lifting the trophy – the team of decorators goes back to work on the Marktweg.
“We waited two or three days to recover from the hangover,” he said. “Then, with 10 men, we tore everything down. You come back and it’s all over.”
___
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
