Etten-Leur, Oudenbosch, Roosendaal

A route through Stijlorenrijk and Ut Zwaajgat, Puitenol, Tullepetaonestad and Zeuvebultelaand; every self-respecting city in Brabant has a different name during the Carnival period. It’s no secret that people from Brabant love Carnival. This three-day party ends with Ash Wednesday, which in North Brabant is accompanied by sausage rolls, Schrobbeler or a Brabant coffee table. There are several theories about the origin of the word carnival. The most likely origin is from the Italian carne levare, meaning to remove meat. In Brabant, people like to believe it comes from carrus navalis, meaning ship cart or fools’ ship.

But it’s not Carnival all year long, fortunately Brabanders have more interests. Sport! There’s a good chance you’ll end up at an event when passing through Etten-Leur on your bike. From the Book Market in April to the marathon in October: Etten-Leur hosts 18 events a year. The town of Oudenbosch is mainly known for its sporty character, with 15 sports clubs. To be fair: Roosendaal takes the crown with 23 sports clubs and 22 events, but it is also considerably larger than Zevenbergen, which besides Carnival only hosts the cycling race Profronde van Zevenbergen.