De Meelfabriek Food & Lifestyle Market

So here comes that time of the year when tourists flock to the Netherlands and locals camp out on the streets because there is always something going on during the day. Yes, it’s the time when Keukenhof is opened, and it’s also the time to celebrate the long-anticipated King’s Day. You’re probably all set with something orange on your body and just ready to head out to anywhere tomorrow to join the festive crowds. But even before that, there have been already a series of events prior to King’s Day that are also worth checking out. Today, I visited the Food & Lifestyle Market in De Meelfrabriek to see if it’s any different from the kinds of market in the Netherlands.

The answer is, not much. It’s actually almost a mini version of Swan Market. After paying an entrance fee of 1 EUR you get into a pretty small area where there are small kiosks selling crafts and accessories, a few food trucks and in the center of everything there’s a bar where people drink and play live music. There are also a space for children to play some traditional Dutch games.

In short, there was not anything very special about it. Only that the atmosphere and the music really make me think of a market fair in a very old town. Well Leiden is indeed a very old town, but just that there is something very “countryside” about it, you know, with barns and animals and things like that. But all in all, it was quite fun to drop by and try some free food. Or to see this very natural and pure fellow 😛