Suburbia: Ruigoord, village of new age

Suburbia: Ruigoord, village of new age

Jun 2, 2011 |  by  |  Art, Event, Music, Spots
About the author
Hi my name is Fione. I have always lived in suburbs and this is what I write about. I don't like mancaves that don't allow women, unneeded advice and people jumping the queue. I like photography, the smell of sweets and the sun. I was away for some while, but I'm back writing and photographing, bringing you articles about new to discover spots.

Some of you might heard of it, plenty of you searched for it and many planned to visit, but most haven’t found somebody who can drive a car. But you should not stop looking for it. ‘t Ruyghe Oort (‘The Rough Spot’), as it was once called, is a small village in the industrial port area of Westpoort. Here you can join in at yoga classes, songwriting workshops and even Trancedance meetings to find your inner self. A place where art and spirituality comes together…

Ruigoord is established by artists, squatters and new agers. Somehow, it is like stepping back into the Sixties. Try to imagine a green spot between numerous stinking factories. It consists of two streets with ten houses, painted in various bright colors and having statements on the walls. And then there is this picturesque church surrounded by grass, a couple of trees, a little tea house and some odd looking statues. Although the local authorities are trying to wipe this little piece of heaven of the map, the original inhabitants stood ground and fight for it up until this very moment.

Steek de draak met haat, dood de tijd met liefde.

It’s crystal clear: Ruigoord is a non-profit organization where you can get cheap beers with friendly citizens helping you out, from the parking lot to the bar. On the website you can perceive information about many activities. Like poetry- and jazz events on Sundays, theater, festivals and house parties held in the church on Saturdays. Visiting one of those parties would astonish you, because of the variety of people. Young, old, black, white, alternative, skater, punker: everybody dances the night away as if their life depends on it.

This all gives sort of a Woodstock feeling. Bring your tent, guitar and happy thoughts and hurry up, because the place is packed with people in a few weeks. So I strongly recommend:

All is One:
Saturday 16 and Sunday July 17th 2011

Landjuweel:
Friday 12, Saturday 13 en Sunday August 14th 2011

Need some directions? From Sloterdijk:
Drive all the way through Westpoort, following the signs IJmuiden on the Basisweg. Turn left on the Noordzeeweg and right again on the Westpoortweg. Follow this road until you see big round white tanks on the right side. You are almost there, take the second one right: the Accraweg

Connexxion bus 82 (direction: IJmuiden) can take you there from Sloterdijk.

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