Celebration on May 5, 2023

On 5 May, the now traditional children’s flea market and fair were held in Oegstgeest. The Orange Association, together with the scouting associations, had signed and numbered all the subjects the night before, so that children only had to find their assigned spot. On the corner of Hofdijck/Terweeweg, next to the Shell pump, there were 3 army jeeps with the drivers in army clothing. Caroline van Tongeren, together with her daughters, dressed in 1940s clothing to give it an authentic touch, which was quite successful.

Nearly 100 running groups from all over the country gathered at “Hotel de Wereld” in Wageningen on the night of 4 to 5 May. The runners took the liberation fire with them to their own communities with their torches. They ran in a relay race, with the opportunity to rest in the car in between.
The relay runners arrived in Oegstgeest around 11 a.m. They were met in the Bos van Wijckerslooth by alderman Elfred Bus, Barbera Hermans-Groen (Stichting Veteranen Oegstgeest) and many interested parties. Alderman Elfred Bus received the torch and used it to light a candle in a lantern. Then the runners placed flowers and a candle in a lantern at the war graves at the Green Church and the Halifax Monument.