The ABBADay 2024

This year I was able to enjoy the three days of ABBAday celebration thanks to my friends Gerardo, Enrique and Jesús who accompanied me and allowed me to stay with them in a hotel in Roosendaal.

So the weekend started on Friday afternoon when I went to pick up my friends at Brussels airport.

We set off for Roosendaal in the pouring rain and when we got to the hotel no one wanted to go out, so we had dinner there.

But we still headed out to join the pre-ABBAday party at the Moriaan pub.

For me and two of my friends it was the first time.

We immediately recognized many fans and participated in the contest.

 

The questionnaire had 30 questions and had to be answered very quickly. The questions were difficult, but the winner still answered 24 questions correctly. I think I answered 15 questions correctly.

Even without winning any awards, we had a lot of fun. I congratulate the author of the Quizz.

Then the ABBAgirls livened up the rest of the evening with ABBA medleys and versions of “Waterloo”, “Dancing Queen” and “One Man, One woman” among others.

 

 

The evening may have continued, but we returned to the hotel.

The next day, at 10:30, we were at the entrance to Rottier with the usual cold at that time, but fortunately without rain.

 

Other fans joined us, especially those who were only coming for one day. At eleven o'clock the doors opened.

This year, the gift to come to ABBAday was a collection of 4 miniature pins for the 50th anniversary of “Waterloo”. I liked this gift.

As usual, I took a quick tour of the stands offering ABBA merchandise and then a second more in-depth tour. I finished my two rounds without purchasing anything.

Only in the third round did I buy the new Stany Van Wymeersch book and two CDs with ABBA covers that I had never seen before.

Among the visitors of the day I could recognize Philippe Elan, Jean-Marie Potiez and Napoleon.

A mini exhibition was set up with some objects from the "Waterloo" anniversary and period items.

 

  

  

 

  

 

At 1 pm, Helga and Anita welcomed us and introduced us to Janne Schaffer, who spoke to us at length about his career with ABBA. Having worked with them from the sixties until today, you can imagine what he said.

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At 2 p.m., Harry Knipschild, ABBA's representative in Holland in 1973, told us about his history with ABBA. Also an interesting story as it began with the arrival of the Hep Stars in 1968.

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Finally, at 5 pm, after the contest results, we went to dinner downtown.
This time I had dinner with my Spanish friends.

 

At 7 p.m., the ABBA Disco had us dancing until 11 p.m.

The evening ended with the gratitude of Helga and Anita and the fraternal round around “The Way Old Friends Do”.

Before leaving we did a group photo session with Helga and Anita.

The next day, ABBAday continued in Waterloo. Far from the town of Pudgemont, it is at the 1815 memorial where the exhibition From ABBA to the World continues to be held, which I already told you about during its inauguration.

The fan club had rented a bus for fans interested in traveling to and from Roosendaal. We and several other fans arrived with our cars.

Jean-Marie Potiez was there to welcome us and answer all our questions.

But the most surprising thing is that Janne Schaffer was also on the bus and enjoyed the beautiful exhibition like us.

Finally, after the visit, it was time to say goodbye. Some of us will meet again on April 6 in Stockholm (me), London, Brighton or some other places that will celebrate ABBA's victory in the Eurovision Song Contest or the 25th anniversary of Mamma Mia in London that day.

It was an exceptional weekend for me because the most important thing right now is to be able to share your joy and your admiration for ABBA with other fans, especially when you have been friends for a long time. I can only encourage people who have never experienced an ABBAday to do so at all costs. ABBAday is like a trip to Mecca for Muslims, you have to do it at least once in your life.

Another big thank you to Helga and Anita for the magnificent organization of the event.