About the foundation
Every December, Stichting Victoriaans Dickens Tiel takes the town centre of Tiel back to the 19th century, and a week later the square of Geldermalsen.
This is who we are and how we do it.
A foundation that gets the whole town to play along
In 2021 Stichting Victoriaans Dickens Tiel, the Victorian Dickens Tiel Foundation, took over from the previous organisers. Since then we have worked hard on professionalising the festival. Today the Dickens Festival has grown into the third-largest free event in Tiel.
One Sunday in December around 200 extras fill the shopping streets: rich and poor, street urchins and craftsmen from the 19th century. Around them a Christmas market, carol singers, the carousel from 1922 and floating Christmas trees in the town moat. Without extras and sponsors the foundation could not exist, so we are always looking for both.
The festival in Tiel is organised together with the Hart van Tiel retailers’ association.
Recognition
Tielse Toffe Peer Award 2026
- 2021
- founded
- 200+
- costumes
- 2
- festivals a year
From fitting evening to parade
The festival lasts one afternoon. The work behind it lasts all year.
Around 200 extras
Fine ladies and gentlemen, street urchins, working folk and craftsmen. Costumes hang ready for more than 200 extras. At the fitting evenings in November everyone gets the outfit that suits them and their role best.
Everything in-house
After the festival the extras hand their costumes back. The board, helped by a handful of volunteers, washes, irons and mends everything itself. That is why every Vriendje van Dickens (friend of Dickens) and every Dickens Pin sold matters.
Street theatre, not a procession
Every year we try to have eye-catchers in the streets, such as a rat-catcher, a schoolmistress with her pupils, mourning women, orphans and fishwives. So that everyone can shine in their role during the festival, we run an acting workshop for the extras.
Two festivals
On Sunday 13 December 2026 it is Tiel’s turn, and a week later, on Saturday 19 December, the square of Geldermalsen. There the Dickens Festival celebrates its fifth edition this year.
At the Weerstraat since July 2026
For three years the foundation had its Dickens Home in Geldermalsen. When that building was sold, we moved to Tiel in the second week of July 2026: the old Ballast building at Weerstraat 29.
This is where the costumes hang, where the large and small props and our accessories are kept, and from this year also where the fitting evenings take place. The Dickens Pin is on sale here too.
At the end of Dickens Tiel, the extras who appear only in Tiel leave their costumes at the Weerstraat. The extras who appear at both Dickens Festivals take their costumes home. Together with the extras who appear only in Geldermalsen, they hand in the costumes on Monday 21 December between 19:00 and 21:00 at our Dickens Home, Weerstraat 29, Tiel.
Tielse Toffe Peer Award 2026
The municipality of Tiel presents the Toffe Peer Award to an association, person or business that gives the town an important boost. In January 2026 the award went to the organisers of the Dickens Festival.
A crown on the work of extras, volunteers and board, and a reason to carry on. Here’s to many more years of Dickens in Tiel.
A small board, a big town around it
Behind the festival is the foundation’s board, with a handful of volunteers around it. They are the creative engine. They arrange the costumes, the fitting evenings, the acting workshop for the extras, the newsletter and the contacts with the municipality of Tiel and the Hart van Tiel retailers’ association. In short, they are the stronghold around the Dickens Festival.
Questions for the board? Email info@victoriaans-dickens-tiel.nl.
Board members
Names, roles and photos of the board will follow here.
Questions? Email the foundation
Have a question about the festival or your visit? Send us a message. We do our best to reply quickly.
- Dickens Home
- Weerstraat 29, Tiel (the old Ballast building)
- Tiel 2026
- Sunday 13 December 2026, 12:00 to 17:00
- Geldermalsen 2026
- Saturday 19 December 2026, 13:00 to 17:30
Stichting Victoriaans Dickens Tiel
Organiser of the Dickens Festival
- Founded
- 2021
- Partner
- Hart van Tiel retailers’ association
- Recognition
- Tielse Toffe Peer Award, January 2026
No contact form on the site. Your email goes straight to the foundation.
See what’s on
Curious what is happening on 13 December? The full programme, times and locations are on the programme page.