Pavement chalk & spiked squash: Let's play out at Beton-T

It’s not only children who enjoy playing out, as is evident from the success of the ‘Let’s play out’ evening for adults, organised by Beton-T. ‘Chain tag on the stage in 15 minutes!’

You have to watch where you’re walking on Beton-T cultural square this evening, as you can be mown down by a 40-year-old on a tricycle at any moment. There’s something going on wherever you look: stilts, skipping ropes, hula hoops. But then this is the ‘Let’s play out’ evening for grown-ups. You can’t miss the venue: from the opposite side of the street, you see three bouncy castles rising above the buildings.

photo: Sophie Manusov

The concept was born from the ‘Let’s play out’ day for local kids. ‘We should do this for adults!’ was the reaction, explains the organiser Tanno Witkamp. So they did, and it was a great success. ‘The first edition sold out in no time, and since then, every edition has been more successful than the last.’ Beton-T sold 900 tickets for this evening’s event, and people are still looking for tickets on Ticketswap.

Spiked squash

‘Chain tag on the stage in 15 minutes!’, echoes through the megaphone. The evening is packed with games like Twister XXL, hide-and-seek, or the national Slow Cycling race, where people fall off their bikes attempting to win. And then there’s ‘everythingball’, which is a mix of dodgeball, football, volleyball and basketball, Tanno explains.

Showing no embarrassment, particularly the later it gets, people elbow their way to the bouncy castles or throw some shapes in front of the Just Dance screen. A temperature of 10 degrees and a few raindrops do nothing to spoil the fun. There’s a squash bar next to the real bar, with a home-made sign saying ‘Spiked squash’ next to a litre bottle of vodka. There are snacks and you can take a break – the evening lasts for five hours – at one of the picnic tables. While some people enjoy a quiet pint, others are furiously discussing who won. ‘It’s funny to see people getting so carried away. You can’t help but shed a tear,’ Tanno laughs.

Pavement chalk

‘Nobody feels embarrassed and everyone can be themselves, says Wendy Panova, who’s taking part for the second time. A woman is lying on the ground next to her, while her friend draws her contour with pavement chalk. Wendy has come all the way from Amsterdam, as they haven’t got round to organising a ‘Let’s play out’ evening for adults there yet. Like most of the evening’s visitors, she’s in her 20s. ‘It’s a pity that most of the people are so young,’ says Tanno. ‘People in their 20s have only just left their childhood. I hope that people who’ve spent the last 40 years in a 9 to 5 job also find time for something like this.’ And that’s the main idea behind the ‘Let’s play out’ evenings for adults: a chance to revert to childhood.

photo: Sophie Manusov

You see the people who’ve come on their own in the queue, but not once they get inside. ‘Some people ask whether they can come on their own on Instagram. I actually try to encourage this as it’s an ideal event for meeting people’, says Tanno. You hear ‘do you want to play?’ all around the square. No-one is really on their own here.

Coming out of your shell

This month sees an entire ‘Let’s play out’ weekend, the Winter Weekend, on the main city square. The colder and darker it gets, the more important it is to go outside, explains Tanno. He’s noticed that a lot of his friends suffer from a winter dip. ‘You tend to stay indoors, meet fewer people and generally do less. I hope that the ‘Let’s play out’ weekend encourages people to come out their shells.’

The winter edition will include curling, traditional Dutch games and mulled wine. The organisers also want to introduce obstacle courses in the circus school next to Beton-T. The themes will change daily, so people can play a different game every day.

28-30 November 2025, Winterweekend, Beton-T

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