6 & 7 september 2026
6 & 7 september 2026
“I collect everything about Sinterklaas, so I’ve wanted to create a design about this topic for a while,” André begins, “because I know Saint Nicolas very well (editor’s note: André is Sinterklaas’s personal advisor). Then I came across those donkeys”. He immediately points out a striking detail of this float: this Sinterklaas float has neither Amerigo nor Ozosnel. Instead, it has two very endearing donkeys, one on each float, and each animal has its own character. This will also be expressed through the movement added to these figures. But why donkeys? The donkey helps Sinterklaas carry packages in France. The scene is set in France, specifically on December 6, 1970.
“It’s going to be an old-fashioned Corso float with lots of things going on. Alternative materials, movement, clothing. We’re going to experiment with all kinds of materials, so we can go all out!” For music, they chose a catchy French Saint Nicolas chanson. The sound will seem to be made by the different toys on the float. An enthusiastic neighbour is already composing a piece with different tracks of toy sounds to match the toys on the float, which will form a single unit through various speakers.
This float will transport you back to your childhood, to the magic of your old toys and the warm memories they evoke. The memory of the coziness of gift-giving night. Toys are fundamentally “dead material,” but they come to life when a child plays with them, and that’s when the magic happens. The float will feature about 25 performers who will become part of the magical toys.
—
Isabelle Hereijgers (49) is a tax consultant at Van de Klundert advies. She began her Corso career in the Stuivezand hamlet, where she worked on gluing, cardboard, and tapping. At Helpt Elkander, she learned welding and shaping. After transferring to Poteind a few years ago, she is starting with her first selected design this year.
André Roks (62) is a creative jack-of-all-trades who graduated from the Academy for Visual Arts in Arendonk (B) in 2024. Sculptor, mixed media artist, theater enthusiast, photographer, couturier, and designer: “twelve trades, thirteen accidents,” his mother once joked about him. He, however, prefers to practice “thirteen trades without accidents”. André began his Corso career in Wernhout. He was then active for many years at Helpt Elkander. In the year of ‘Nanook!’, André also switched to the Poteind hamlet.
Original Dutch Text: Miranda Eiting
Translation: Saskia Molema
Photo: Eefje Fotografie
Hamlet Poteind
www.poteind.nl
This article is brought to you by Corsief. An independent magazine about corsos in general and the Zundert flower parade in particular. The magazine is produced entirely by volunteers, who are all more or less active in the Zundert flower parade world. Corsief is entirely full-colour and appears four times a year.