Temperatures soared to 25 degrees Celsius this Whit weekend after a long cold spell in the Netherlands. And it seems most people headed for the coast to cool down. However, thick sea mist sent them back home on Monday.

On Sunday morning, Dutch motoring organisation ANWB warned beach-goers to travel by public transport, especially in Scheveningen and Wijk aan Zee where car parks were full at 11 a.m. Once on the beach, people were warned to stay out of the cold water; three people had to be treated for hypothermia. Meanwhile, lifeguards were preoccupied with finding the parents of more than 100 lost children. One boy was lost for three hours, after his parents had gone for a bite to eat, leaving him behind.

On Monday, Dutch railway company NS put on extra trains to Zandvoort beach to accommodate the crowds. But beach-goers were disappointed as thick sea mist spoiled their plans to spend a day in the sun. The mist brought temperatures down to just 14 degrees in Hook of Holland.

Holy Ghost
Those wanting to avoid traffic jams and sun-burn may have opted for a visit within the cool thick walls of a castle. More than 60 castles opened their doors on Monday to mark the Day of the Castle. This year’s theme “From castle to country estate” shows the change from medieval castles to country retreats. It’s the fifth year, the event has been held. If you missed it, it’s the Year of the Historic Country House this year, so there’ll be many more opportunities visit Dutch country houses and their gardens this summer.

More than 50,000 Christians visited the 42nd Revival festival this weekend on the reclaimed polder in the Province of Flevoland. According to organiser Joop Gankema that is just as many visitors as last year. The family event celebrates the descent of the Holy Ghost 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Bruce Springsteen
In the province of Limburg, the 43rd edition of Pinkpop music festival was held in Landgraaf. It’s the Netherlands oldest pop festival. Tens of thousands of music lovers are expected to see Bruce Springsteen and his E-Street band headlining the festival on Monday evening. The holiday weekend line-up included The Cure, the Specials, James Morrison, the Kyteman Orchestra, Mastadon, Linkin Park, Keane and many others on the festival's three stages.

Meanwhile in Rotterdam, the 35th edition of Dunya Festival drew in a quarter of a million visitors on Sunday. A spokesperson said, “We are blessed with this weather. There is a great atmosphere. The audience is a reflection of the population of Rotterdam, a mixture of people from all corners of the world.''
Whether the event will be such a success remains to be seen, as this year’s edition is the last time the festival is free. It began in 1977 as Poetry Park under the Euromast. Next year it moves to the city centre and will join forces with the Summer Carnival.