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GRONINGEN

Oelinda de Vries

2016-2018 Oelinda de Vries                                                 2011-2016 Chris Garrit. CHRIS GARRIT PERS   Since 2011, Chris Garrit has been the first elected Night Mayor (Dutch: Nachtburgermeester) of the city of Groningen, the Netherlands. In 2013 he was re-elected. With this position, he became the voice of the city for its nightlife, culture, festivals and other evening activities. In Groningen the night mayor is responsible for maintaining the intricate balance between the city’s citizens who wish to get a sleep in the later hours and those who are in favor of a bustling nightlife. Considering that Groningen is known for a thriving (and often loud) music scene, the Nachtburgermeester needs to maintain a strong relationship with the city’s music venues, their owners, and the musicians who often turn their guitar amps up to eleven.
Chris’ history with music starts young. He began as a teenager playing in bands and later as an professional musician touring throughout Europe. The last 15 years he has worked as a event manager (at EMG Faktors) where he has produced music festivals (Kadepop, Gideon Music Festival). Chris Garrit is founder of the Creative Council North-Netherlands, the CCNN. Chris Garrit speaks around Europe about night-life and how to improve evening economics in a city full of festivals and music conventions. He also started the Netherland’s INAF (International Night Ambassador Federation) with a growing network of "night ambassadors” in cities throughout Europe. The goal of the INAF is to get more cities connected and help cities to elect their own Night Mayors. It is a network which gives information, exchanges ideas and supports the local evening economics. Also the INAF helps city councils worldwide to advise about how to get a night-mayor/ ambassador into the city system.
More info (in Dutch): www.groningernachtwacht.nl

Groningen - the city that never sleeps

Groningen is the main municipality as well as the capital city of the eponymous province in the Netherlands. With a population of 197,823 (in 2014), it is the largest city in the north of the Netherlands. An old city, Groningen was the regional power of the northern Netherlands, a semi-independent city-state and member of the German Hanseatic League. Groningen is a university city: it houses the University of Groningen (about 28,000 students) and the Hanze University of Applied Sciences (about 25,000 students). Grote Markt

Art, culture and nightlife

The city is nationally known as the "Metropolis of the North" and as "Martinistad" referring to the Martinitoren. Although Groningen is not a very large city, it does have an important role as the main urban centre of this part of the country, particularly in the fields of music and other arts, education, and business. The large number of students living in Groningen also contributes to a diverse cultural scene for a city of its size. Groningen's nightlife depends largely on its student population. Its cultural scene is vibrant and remarkable for a city of its size. In particular, the Grote Markt, the Vismarkt, the Poelestraat and Peperstraat are crowded every night of the week, and most bars do not close until 5 in the morning. Between 2005 and 2007, Groningen was elected "de beste binnenstad" (the best city centre) of the Netherlands.There is also a red-light district in Groningen, called Nieuwstad. A second one in the A-kwartier (an area) has been closed as of late 2015. Both areas are in or near the city centre.