This Saturday, the city of Delft puts its bluest foot forward. No, we don’t mean you’ll see long, moping faces at every street corner. What you’ll see is the best of Delft Blue ceramics as the city celebrates it long association with the historic art form.
Being called the Delft Blue Day (Delfts Blauwdag), on June 21, the event promises to give you a “true blue” experience of Delft. A route from the city centre to the Royal Delft Museum will be mapped in blue with games and giveaways along the way. Residents along the route have been invited to decorate their windows with blue as well. Starting from the Museum Het Prinsenhof, visitors will be given small Delftware gifts and a Delft Blue Tour through the museum’s impressive collection. Visitors will also be invited to be part of a Delft Blue painting.
“This is the first time we are hosting this event, but we hope to make it an annual event from now on,” says Marjan Noteboom, management assistant, Delft Marketing. “The idea is to promote the city of Delft and its ceramics among the people,” she adds. The city’s website is, in fact, promoting the event with the tagline “How Blue is your heart?”
Delftware, among the most popular icons of the city, is a style of blue and white potter that was made in and near Delft in the 16th century. To this day it is a popular sight in all tourist shops and collector’s stores across the Netherlands.
On Delft Blue Day, it’s not just the ceramics that will be on show, you can get blue drinks, blue sandwiches and even blue ice-cream. Visitors to the Stadscafe or De Waag can opt for a special Deft Blue sandwich (with blue cheese, balsamic syrup and fried mushrooms). Organisers at the Royal Delft Blue Museum (De Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles) informed us that visitors can also participate in on-the-spot painting workshops hosted by Delft Blue experts. The museum has a multi-media show on the history and process of making Delft Blue ceramics which will also be open to the public. A number of local shops will have Delftware on sale for discounted prices.
Delft Blue Day coincides with two other events in town – Mooi Weer Spelen and the Night of Architure. Mooi Weer Spelen will end the day’s events with a blue light show at the New Church around midnight.
For more information, see the Delft city website.
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