Andriana Boyrikova“I try to be the cultural voice of the city, of its day and nightlife. I just follow my heart,” says Groningen’s Nachtburgemeester Chris Garrit, sipping his coffee in the News Café. He has just returned from his trip to Austin, Texas – a trip with a mission to promote the concept of being “Nachtburgemeester”.
Having barely slept in the last eleven hours en route, Garrit is more than willing to continue spreading the word of what it is to be a Night Mayor. He is excited and abounded with vitality when talking about his work.
What is a Nachtburgemeester?
The Dutch concept of “Nachtburgemeester” or “Night Mayor” is becoming popular nowadays not only in the Netherlands but in Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, UK, and even in the US. Garrit explains:
“There is the day world and the night world, and the Night Mayor is in the middle of these two worlds and speaks both languages. Sometimes those worlds don’t understand each other, so it is very important that the Night Mayor makes the connection between them.”
While Garrit is not a city official, he works with them setting regulations regarding noise, parties, and complaints by neighbours. He monitors whether those new rules are “against the culture” – he wants to make sure they don’t kill the nightlife of the city.
For example, several years ago one of the city counsellors wanted to enforce a new regulation reducing the volume from 85 to 70 decibels on all city events. “But this is drastically softer!”. That would mean the end of many fun activities in Groningen and would affect the economy and culture of the city. As a response, Garrit organized a protest at Grotemarkt and a lot of musicians joined him. Initially the counsellor hated him, “but now we are friends and work together.”
A tiny part of Garrit’s projects
- Night debates with city officials on various topics such as the controversial backdoor policy in coffeeshops according to which owners are allowed to buy and sell cannabis within the legally tolerated limits but its suppliers aren’t allowed to grow or import it or to sell it to the coffeeshop.
- Another debate in which he questions the value of the construction of the cultural centre Groninger Forum with estimated costs of €71 million while “at the same time there are a lot of poor people”.
- Sending a letter to the President of the University of Groningen insisting that the University Library should be open 24/7, so students can study whenever they want.
- Writing a letter to the Groninger Museum’s director that the museum should have longer working hours.
“Now there is a David Bowie’s exhibition, and I am sure that if David Bowie was still alive, he wouldn’t go to his own exhibition at 10 in the morning! No! He would go later!”
History of the concept Nachtburgemeester
Interestingly, the concept originates from the Dutch poet and writer Jules Deelder who used to go to his bike mechanic at 5pm – never earlier – and the reason was because he had had a long night. Garrit laughs: “One day, his mechanic said – oh, you are a real nachtburgemeester!”
Deelder found the word weird and wrote it in his poem book which was later published, and the name was born. Garrit explains that presently the concept incorporates dealing with regulations by talking with city officials or police departments during the day and talking about festivals, bands, DJs, bars, and city culture during the night.
Garrit’s drive to help others
Garrit is a musician at heart: he learned to play the guitar at 14, and since then music has always been his passion. He played in the ska band “Jammah Tammah” and the rock & roll band “Gravediggers” and toured Europe until he eventually ended up working in a juvenile prison. Why? “I think it was the danger,” he says explaining that it was the danger of being surrounded by murderers and rapists that intrigued him. Garrit who did social studies worked at juvenile prisons for several years.
He recollects how he helped some of the prisoners and they went away, but later they would go back to prison. “Something changed in me. I asked myself: why do I go to this jail and help a few people here when I can organize festivals and make a few hundred people happy? It is a different kind of social work.”
Going international
“I already have a feeling that I did something good for the last four years: out of something small and local, I spread the voice internationally.” Garrit was invited to Austin to promote the idea of the concept Night Mayor and it was met with huge interest.
Now he has focused on actively promoting the concept by having set up the International Night Ambassadors Federation. “We have a saying in Dutch that a good idea has more fathers.” Garrit explains that he cannot call himself “the big guy” who has done everything on his own. He has been working in collaboration with the Night Mayor of Amsterdam and together with all the other “Night Time Champions”.
Now Garrit is looking for a new Groningen’s Nachtburgemeester and he has only two requirements: the person has to live in the city and he/she has to “be the voice of the local culture in Groningen and spread this voice around the world.” But also to be prepared for a lot of traveling and not getting paid.
“I am a night mayor with my heart. I think it is very important to follow your heart if you have a good feeling; this is more important than making money.”
Featured image: Taatgen fotografie.
