by Karak
I moved to Groningen in September of 2024. Coming from a neighbourhood with only a small yarn and notions store, and only a year of crocheting under my belt, to a place that boasts Achterpand was already a delightful shock. And then, only two months into my settling into an apartment full of yarn and a country full of deepfried snacks came Handwerkbeurs Groningen.
It was practically on our doorstep, and Voskop and I took to it with abandon. There's this building excitement when you're approaching an event like this, where every stranger on the street is a potential sight, and slowly birds of a feather start to filter in. A colourwork knitted sweated here, a granny square bag there, and oh, ma'am, I do wish you would stop for a moment so that I could stare at your scarf, because it looks handmade!
But it's one thing seeing assorted grannies dressed their best in yarn on the street, and a whole different one shuffling around in a packed expo hall with them. If you've been to an event like this before, of course none of this is new to you. But it was so me! And boy, was my jaw on the floor.
Obviously, this is not an old people exclusive event. It bears repeating that fibercrafts very much have a place with the younger generation and are not dying out just yet. But in a world that tells you that life ends at 30, 40, 50... it brings me so much joy to see old people dressed in their crafts and splurging on fancy supplies that are just for them and just for the sake of enjoying.
Handwerkbeurs Groningen 2024 boasted two halls - a big one packed with stalls and workshops, and a smaller one with a handful more stalls, a food place, and the Quilting Guild's incredible exhibit. There was a lot to see, and I'd never seen so many craft supplies in one place. For a fledgling crocheter in love with a fellow crocheter and spinner, and who had barely known more than mercerised cotton and acrylic before, the selection of hand-dyed wool (both in yarn and in spinning fluff form) was the sight of a lifetime.
We got a lot of stuff. I'm still working through some of it!
And then came Handwerkbeurs Groningen 2025. Still incredible, still an absolute treat, but...less. It was just less. Only one hall (including the ever-amazing quilt exhibit) and plenty of faces I had hoped to see did not show anymore. And a specific heartbreak for me, who had only recently picked up a spindle for the first time, was that there was much less spinning fiber than the year before.
We still had a lovely time, of course. We bought beautiful things, chatted with lovely vendors (Liset from Schaap & Draak is always a hoot!), and a lady from the Quilting Guild planted a seed that's slowly pulling both Voskop and myself into the craft. It was just less.
Handwerkbeurs Groningen 2026 isn't coming.
We found out from word of mouth at Crea Weekend in Hardenberg, where we went less because we wanted a lot of papercrafts and barely any yarn and much more because we were hanging out with friends from far away. One vendor (again Liset from Schaap & Draak) told us, others confirmed. Handwerkbeurs Groningen was gone and no one was happy about this.
Of course this was not something to let pass without a word. But even with the complaining I hope the vendors and other beurs-goers had kicked up, all Voskop and I got in response to our e-mails was this: Sorry. Maybe in the future. Until then, come to Handwerkbeurs Houten!
You know. Two and a half hours from Groningen by public transport, or two hours by car. Handwerkbeurs Groningen had been unique amongst its kind in the North, and it has left a void behind.
Checking my inbox, since I'm subscribed to the Handwerkbeurs newsletter, in one year I got two e-mails about getting excited and ready for Handwerkbeurs Groningen. I also have thirteen e-mails about the same for Handwerkbeurs Houten, coming every two-three days a month in advance of the event, but the first one being as early as January.
I miss Handwerkbeurs Groningen. I will keep missing it. And frankly, I'm pissed about it and I will keep being pissed about it. And at the end of the day I do wonder, if perhaps a couple more e-mails, a bit more hype could have gone towards it instead of only Houten, Houten, Houten, and if that had been so, we would not be missing it now.