Fruit parade, harbour days and music festival attracted great crowds

TIEL - About 90,000 onlookers lined the annual parade route through Dutch fruit capital Tiel for a look at fifteen beautifully decorated and fruit laden floats. Tiel, which is located in the Betuwe region, an area between the great rivers Lek and Meuse, for years thrived on the fruit growing industry. Although the industry has difficulty competing with foreign suppliers, the annual parade, the only one of its kind in Europe, has no difficulty keeping sponsors. A local music festival which coincided with the parade’s date, attracted 130,000 participants. Down the river, Rotterdam celebrated its world harbour days, which in one weekend was the venue of choice for 400,000 people. The harbour city experienced few traffic snarls as many visitors arrived by using public transportation.