Move over, football. The Netherlands has a new national sport, one helping to greenify gardens and rewild urban spaces. This year marks the fourth annual Tegelwippen – which translates literally as ‘tile whipping’ – where Dutch municipalities compete in a lighthearted contest to remove the most paving slabs.
This year’s winner will be decided at the end of October. More than 11m tiles have been removed since creative agency Frank Lee fired the starting pistol on the first competition in 2021, replacing hundreds of acres of grey concrete with trees, grass, vegetable gardens and vibrant flower beds. The space is equivalent to around that of 200 football pitches.
“The competition is a gimmick of course,” says Frank Lee creative director Eva Braaksma. “People really like to compete! But the power of the thing is its simplicity. You just pick up your shovel and get started.”
