Dutch children are unusually happy and healthy — is it the Avondvierdaagse?

Heavy rain did not stop hundreds of children and their parents gathering in Amsterdam’s Westerpark for the Avondvierdaagse, a four‑evening walk organised by neighbourhood volunteers. Groups set off in raincoats for 5km or 10km routes, collecting stamps on cards that earn medals, flowers and sweets if completed.

The event takes place across villages, towns and cities in the Netherlands, with half a million people taking part each year in about 700 locations, supported by tens of thousands of volunteers; there are also four‑day cycling and swimming variations and the tradition has reached places such as Suriname.

The walks trace a history that began as military training — the first march was held in 1909 in Nijmegen — and evolved after the second world war into large civic marches. The Nijmegen routes remain the biggest, drawing tens of thousands of participants from dozens of countries, while the Avondvierdaagse has become a smaller, family‑focused version aimed mainly at primary school children and their parents.

Netherlands, Amsterdam

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