From 14 May, The Princess and the Pea sleeps in Efteling’s Fairytale Forest

Princess and the Pea 2

From 14 May, Efteling's Fairytale Forest in Kaatsheuvel will have a new fairy tale. From that date, The Princess and the Pea will try to fall asleep on a huge pile of mattresses. Whether this succeeds, visitors will see and hear, because as is often the case in the Fairytale Forest, the story will be told at this fairytale scene. This time it is a sung tale by Flemish singer Geike Arnaert, to a melody by house composer René Merkelbach. The Fairytale Forest residents are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new princess. Her royal pavilion stands between the Troll King and Mother Holle’s well, with the imposing Efteling Grand Hotel in the background.

Sung narration

For the first time, a sung narration will be heard in Efteling's Fairytale Forest. Many guests are familiar with Wieteke van Dort's unforgettable voice, for Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and The Six Swans. The theme park in the South of Holland asked Flemish singer Geike Arnaert to sing a poetic song, set to a subdued composition by René Merkelbach and lyrics by Merkelbach and Karel Willemen. On 16 May, Efteling will release a three-song EP, including the sung narration to the fairy tale, on among others Spotify.

Private entrance

Head designer Sander de Bruijn designed the romantic pavilion with the same style elements and design language as the large Efteling Grand Hotel, which serves as a grand backdrop. Hotel guests will even get their own private entrance to the Fairytale Forest from this summer. The gate leads straight to Hans Christian Andersen's famous fairy tale, which tells the tale of a princess who just can't get to sleep. Efteling’s Fairytale Forest thus gets a third entrance.

Link to video: https://youtu.be/xWbRhaw9fTA  

The story

Once upon a time, there was a prince who wanted to marry a real princess. On a stormy evening, in the pouring rain, a princess from a distant land knocked on the palace's door. The queen, intrigued by the girl, welcomed the ‘princess’ into her home and gave her a pea test to decipher whether she was a true princess fit for her son. Before the princess went to bed, the queen hid a pea under twenty mattresses and twenty down blankets. After all, only a real princess would be sensitive enough to feel the pea and, therefore, be unable to sleep.