Our volunteer team
Gouda by Candlelight is organized entirely by volunteers from Gouda (and sometimes from further afield).
Behind the scenes, they work year-round on the new edition of Gouda by Candlelight. The organization consists of a board and five different committeese.
Regular meetings are held at the City Hall, with a representative from each committee participating.
During Gouda by Candlelight itself, an additional 100 volunteers work from early morning until late at night to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Would you also like to help out, either on the day itself or on one of the committees? See the bottom of this page.
Management
The board consists of a chairperson, secretary, and treasurer. They conduct interviews with key municipal stakeholders and the (main) sponsors. They also ensure the smooth running of the organization and the general meetings.
Paul Buis – Chair
Carolien Meus – Secretary
Jos van der Sprong – Treasurer
The Tree Ceremony Committee
The ceremony at the Boom is the highlight of Gouda by Candlelight. This committee is responsible for everything involved. Every year, they create an innovative program, but there are also traditional elements that return annually.
Cynthia Meevis – Project Manager
Paul Keizer – Light and sound technology
Program Committee
Gouda by Candlelight kicks off early in the afternoon. Throughout the city, you can see acts ranging from street theatre to big bands, storytellers, and singer-songwriters. The Program Committee is responsible for programming the venues throughout the city, with the exception of the ceremony at the tree. They recruit the venues and the acts, and develop the entire program and everything else that comes with it.
Jan de Wild – Project Manager
Hanneke Leroux – Member
Ronald van Rossum – Member
Tugba van Straaten – Member
Ruud Spetter – Member
Mary-Jane Spetter – Member
Chantal Smits-Schouten – Member
Ineke Volbeda – Member
Lars Verburg – Member
Jeroen van Bockel – Member
Stef Vergeer – Member
Lia van Rijen – Member
Conny Lagerweij – Member
Logistics and Safety Committee
Permits, coordination with police and law enforcement, organizing first aid—these are just a few of the activities this committee handles. During the event itself, they are on hand to resolve emergencies and maintain constant contact with security services.
Co van der Horst – Safety and Permit
Piet Streng – Logistics
Frans Mourik – Logistics
Henk Sijl – Logistics
Volunteer Committee
Gouda by Candlelight runs on volunteers, and they are well taken care of. The volunteer committee not only recruits the daytime volunteers but also provides a place to warm up and plenty of food and drinks during Gouda by Candlelight. Our volunteer coordinator is always looking for extra hands, so sign up if you want to help with this fantastic event.
Ben Boere – Volunteer Coordinator
PR and communications
Thousands of program flyers, fence banners, social media posts, and website management. These are just a few of the tasks the PR and Communications committee handles. And everything is beautifully designed by a professional desktop publisher.
Rob Radix – Project Manager
Carolien Meus – Member
Jeroen de Haan – DTP
Sponsorship committee
In addition to subsidies from the Municipality of Gouda, Gouda by Candlelight relies on sponsors. The sponsorship committee maintains contact with sponsors and, together with the PR and communications committee, establishes sponsorship agreements. It also recruits advertisers for the program newspaper.
Paul Buis – Chair
Darinca Vorster – Member
Conny Lagerweij – Member
Do you want to be one of our volunteers?
Without volunteers, we couldn’t organize Gouda by Candlelight.
Would you like to contribute? Join one of the committees, volunteer the day before the event, or even volunteer on the day itself (builders, hostesses, traffic controllers, candlelighters, etc.).
You can offer your help via our contact form.
