There will be an Acorn and BBC User Group (ABUG) event taking place in the Netherlands later this year – the Dutch ABUG 2025, co-sponsored by The Big Ben Club, which will be held from Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th of October at:
MFC de Kiekmure,
Tesselchadelaan 1,
3842 GA Harderwilk,
The Netherlands.
Anyone who has an interest in the full range of Acorn and related machines (of any native ‘bit’ size) can come along, whether that’s one, two, or all three days – though it will be necessary to book ahead. Details of how to do that can be found below.
Being an ABUG event, it won’t be at all like the typical RISC OS computer shows we hold here in the UK. Rather than a selection of exhibitors booking in and presenting, and often trying to sell their wares to ordinary users who come through the door (though there may be some members selling things) ABUG’s gatherings are more informal. For a start, anyone who comes is able to bring along their own stuff to set up and show off (subject to arranging space – see below). People often get together to spend time on programming, hardware, and community projects (such as software preservation). Some people who come to ABUG events take them as an opportunity to exchange ideas and knowledge, and if you have an old Acorn computer that needs repairing this may the opportunity to arrange that with someone else attending.
And it’s also a good way for socialising with like-minded people!
According to the announcement, while the weekend event is being held in the Netherlands, and the main language is Dutch, most people that will be there can speak English as well, and some ‘kann Deutsch sprechen’ – which I think means some can also speak German! The combination means there is no reason to stay away if you don’t speak the local tongue, because there’s a very good chance the helpful locals can speak your language if you can’t speak theirs.
The plan for the three days is:
- Friday, 3rd October: 4:00pm until 9:00pm, and possibly an additional gathering in the bar afterwards.
- Saturday, 4th October: 9:00am until 6:00pm, and possibly a group meal to round off the day.
- Sunday, 5th October: 9:00am until 4:00pm.
Previously, the Dutch ABUG event was held in a hotel, which meant it was possible for people to arrange to stay on site. Unfortunately, however, that’s not possible this year, so anyone wishing to stay overnight will need to make other arrangements – there are bed and breakfast establishments in Harderwijk.
There is ample free parking at the location, with charging stations for visitors with electric cars, and it is only a short distance from the A28, between Amersfoort (just South East of Amsterdam) and Zwolle. It is also around a twenty minute walk from Harderwijk train station, and there is a bus stop nearby (which will save your feet, but not much time) so easy to reach by public transport.
If you wish to attend, you will need to register using this form, which includes the request for table space if you wish to bring something along to show off.
There is a fee of €10.00 (ten euros) per person per day, which is reduced to €27.50 in total for anyone attending all three days – and thanks to the involvement of the Big Ben Club, any of its members wishing to attend can do so with free entry for one of the three days.
For additional information, including a few rules that will need to be followed, please refer to the announcement on the Stardot forum.
