TILBURG, NETHERLANDS (BNO NEWS) — Hundreds of thousands of people, even from beyond the Netherlands, are visiting the country’s biggest carnival to mark ‘Pink Monday.’ It is one of Europe’s largest gay events.

“Be gay for a day” is the slogan for ‘Pink Monday’. It all began in July 1990 when the Gay Krant (Gay Paper), which writes for the gay community in the Netherlands, placed an announcement that there would be a party in Tilburg during the annual carnival.

And it was a success. Hundreds of gay and lesbians attended the party, which would be referred to as ‘Pink Monday’ the next year. From there, it quickly grew and it is now one of the largest gay events in Europe.

The event began just after noon local time on Monday when the ‘Pink Monday Express’ arrived at the central train station in Tilburg. They were greeted by a busy train station where just one color was dominating: pink.

After the crowds made their way to the carnival itself – which is just a short walk from the train station – Mayor Peter Noordanus officially kicked off ‘Pink Monday’ and opened the carnival.

And although the event was at first aimed at gays and lesbians, it is now a popular day for many people. With a majority dressed in pink, including people who are not gay, it is by far the busiest day of the carnival and one of the country’s biggest annual events.

Scores of Dutch artists are scheduled to perform, and around 300,000 people are expected to attend the party this year, which is equal to last year.

The carnival – which began on Friday evening – is also the biggest carnival of the BeNeLux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) with 239 attractions. It includes the ‘Teststrecke’ for the first time, which is a roller coaster from Germany.

And besides ‘Pink Monday’, there are also other special days. For example, there is a special afternoon for disabled people on Tuesday. And Tuesday evening marks ‘Carnival at Night’, when the city lights will be turned off to create a fairy tale-like and romantic setting.

Besides that, Thursday marks ‘Caribbean Thursday’ and Friday is a special day for elderly people.

Sunday marks the last day of the carnival when it will be closed during a spectacular fireworks show in the city’s harbor.

(Copyright 2010 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)