Hein always wanted to become the Strawberry King of Zundert, and now he has achieved it. He is the first ever Strawberry King in Zundert, following in the footsteps of 39 women who came before him as Strawberry Queens. “I used to dream about this, but I never thought it would actually happen,” Hein said. However, he was proven wrong when he was chosen to be the main attraction at the upcoming fortieth annual Strawberry Festival.
The Aardbeienfeesten (Strawberry Festivals) in Zundert are a yearly tradition celebrating the strawberry as one of the region’s key products. Hein grew up attending these festivals, where the highlight was always the crowning of a new Strawberry Queen. As a man, Hein never thought he would have a chance at that role. “It started as a joke,” he said. But everything changed when he casually mentioned his dream of becoming the Strawberry King while working at a sangria bar last year. In March, he received a serious question about it.
With a fashion degree in hand, Hein was unsure about his future career path last year. Now, during his gap year before starting law school in the fall, he has the time to fully embrace the busy schedule of the Strawberry Festivals. He is especially looking forward to visiting the elderly at the De Willaert nursing home, sharing strawberry pastries and conversation with them. Despite having to give a speech, Hein prefers to speak spontaneously because preparing a speech makes him nervous and leads to mistakes.
After fulfilling his obligations at the festival until late afternoon, Hein plans to go home to change before continuing the celebrations. While he initially set a curfew of 11 p.m., he has already pushed it back two hours. Although he will have to be back on Sunday morning, Hein is grateful for the guidance he receives from the people around him throughout the weekend. He feels supported and enjoys the attention, describing the experience as being like an influencer who is assisted all day long and gets to socialize freely.