Charles Dickens' characters come alive in a Dutch town enamored with the English author
The Dutch city of Deventer has been transformed into a 19th-century English city where 950 people in costumes brought characters from Charles Dickens’ books to life
DEVENTER, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch city of Deventer transformed Saturday into a pocket of 19th-century England, with 950 people in costumes bringing characters from Charles Dickens’ books to life.
Oliver Twist, Ebenezer Scrooge and Miss Havisham were among the characters at hand, mingling with chimney sweepers, livestock and Christmas carol singers in Deventer’s historic center. Onlookers bowed when Queen Victoria passed through.
Merchants peddle antiques and gingerbread, while people portraying pickpockets try to avoid being tossed in a mock Marshalsea Prison.
The town's link to Dickens is Emmy Strik, who started the weekend-long festival to protest rules against keeping her antique shop open on Sunday. Strik and other shopowners dressed up in the 19th-century England costumes and walked out on the streets. The protest evolved into an annual festival and Strik, now 84, has collected more than 1,000 Dickensian costumes for the event.
