Roller skaters along decorated street sections on Monday

On Monday evening, at the end of its route, the weekly roller parade will skate through the city centre to admire the decorations. “The parade on August 18 is entirely dedicated to the VJ-feesten,” says Mayor Reynders. “Among the participants are many non-Hasselt residents, and even non-Limburg residents, whom we want to introduce to the decorated 'rotten' and let them experience the special atmosphere prevailing in Hasselt.” The skaters will arrive in the city centre around 11 p.m. via Manteliusstraat, to then end at Dusartplein after a long route. They may occasionally feel like ice skaters on the Elfstedentocht, as they will have to walk on their skates over cobblestone sections in places. “We took the cobblestones into account when planning the route, but people will still have to walk on their skates at Dorpsstraat, Demerstraat and Stella Maris. As far as possible, we will place rubber mats there.” The question remains whether the thousands of walkers visiting Hasselt every evening will not see the roller skaters as an annoying obstacle? “Seven hundred skaters is a large group, but that is why we deliberately organized the passage late in the evening when there are already fewer people. Furthermore, the support vehicles and the group of cyclists accompanying the skaters are not allowed into the city centre.”