The last weekend of October is upon us again: for the fifth year running, the largest gay classic car event in Germany and the Netherlands kicks off! We’re looking forward to an exciting weekend in and around Bad Bentheim and the province of Overijssel. This year, we’ve created several special events to help you discover the history of this region.
When? From October 24th to 26th, 2025.
Where? We’ll be staying at a hotel in Bad Bentheim.
What? The program is as follows:
Friday, October 24th
Arrival at Bad Bentheim. Hotel check-in starts at 1:00 pm.
Complimentary coffee/tea and pastries are available between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm. This year, in addition to coffee/tea, you can also choose sparkling wine.
Beer, house wine, and soft drinks are free between 5:30 pm and 9:00 pm. This year, Happy Hour has been extended by one hour.
7:00 pm: Extensive dinner buffet
8:45 pm: Night Watchman Tour: A fun evening stroll through Bad Bentheim
The bowling alley, as well as the entire hotel, is reserved exclusively for us. The partition has been removed so that attendees can chat with each other while bowling.
Saturday, October 25th
7:00 am to 8:45 am: Extensive breakfast buffet
9:00 am: Gathering in front of the hotel for a short introduction
9:15 am: Departure for Bocholt
11:00 am: Arrival at the textile factory in Bocholt. The approach 
route is via a cycle path. Beware of cyclists and pedestrians! Several guides will be waiting at the textile factory to lead us through the three exhibition spaces reserved for us. Please note: Only one car is allowed on the bridge at a time! Please don’t rush.
Dogs are welcome on the museum grounds, but unfortunately, they are not allowed inside the buildings.
Four one-hour tours are available in German and Dutch:
- In the Rhythm of the Machines (about time in textile production)
- The Makers and the Spinning Mill (the people behind textile production.
- Behind the Beauty (what happens behind the scenes in the beauty industry)
- Against the Current (proverbs and sayings that originated in the textile industry)
After the tours, we will be welcomed around 12:30 pm at the museum restaurant Schiffchen, where we can enjoy a drink outside (weather permitting) or inside at a standing or sitting table. Hearty soups, water, and coffee are available.
2:00 pm: Departure from the textile factory via the cycle path. Please be mindful of pedestrians and cyclists when leaving!
2:30 pm: Arrival in Raesfeld, where we can explore the castle and the surrounding area on our own. The so-called “Waldparkhaus” (forest parking garage) is reserved exclusively for us. Coffee and three types of pastries await us at the “Freiheit 24” restaurant.
3:30 pm: Return to the hotel.
After arriving at the hotel, it’s time for whatever you like to do: sauna, swimming, relaxing, freshening up, and, if necessary, getting under the hood…
5:30 pm to 9:00 pm: Happy hour: Free beer, house wine, and soft drinks
7:00 pm: Extensive dinner buffet
Just like the night before, the bowling alley is available exclusively for us.
Note: On Saturday evening, the clocks go back one hour!
Sunday, October 26th
7:00 am to 8:45 am: Extensive breakfast buffet
8:45 am to 9:15 am: Check-out
9:15 am: Meet in front of the hotel for a short introduction
9:30 am: Departure for the artists’ village of Ootmarsum
In Ootmarsum, we (unfortunately) have to split up the group, so we ask you to consider what you prefer:
- A 30-minute tour of the Ton Schulten Museum OR
- A walk through the Ootmarsum Open Air Museum
Please note: The two tours at the Ton Schulten Museum have a maximum capacity of 30 people per tour, meaning a maximum of 60 people can participate. Please let us know your first choice when you register.
10:45 am: Park in Ootmarsum parking lot
11:00 am: Short walk and reception at the Ton Schulten Museum.
When you enter the visual world of Ton Schulten, you glimpse into the soul and dreams of a remarkable man. His works depict heavenly landscapes composed of colorful mosaics. They are often impressions of his native Twente. They testify to the artist’s mystical longing for light and his pursuit of strength and harmony in his use of colour, and pay tribute to one of the most beautiful regions of the Netherlands. Participants not participating in the tour can take a stroll through Ootmarsum or enjoy a cup of coffee at Restaurant Ton Schulten.
Or
11:00 am: Short walk and reception at the open-air museum.
The Ootmarsum Open-Air Museum is located just outside Ootmarsum. It tells the story not only of the Twente farmers but also of the region’s administrators 100 years ago. In the 20,000-square-meter park, 16 authentic historic buildings demonstrate how farmers once lived and worked in this region. Various exhibitions also show how the region was governed by the bishop and the stadtholder. Dogs are welcome in the open-air museum, but must be kept on a leash.
The Open-Air Museum is free for holders of a Dutch Museum Card. Holders of this card will receive a refund for their museum entrance fee from the GCCC afterward.
1:00 pm: Lunch: “Noon Snack” at Restaurant Oatmossche: a cup of tomato soup with white bread and Oma Bob’s Croquette and healthy brown bread (with ham, cheese, lettuce, cucumber, and tomato). Other drinks are at your own expense.
After lunch, the Bad Bentheim Classics 2025 event concludes. We say goodbye and begin our journey home.
Cost:
€ 279 per person in a Deluxe Double Room, including coffee, pastries, and sparkling wine from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on the day of arrival, dinner on Friday and Saturday, breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, and complimentary beer, house wine, and soft drinks from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM.
€ 199 per persoon in een Classic tweepersoonskamer, inclusief koffie, gebak en mousserende wijn van 13.00 tot 16.00 uur op de dag van aankomst, diner op vrijdag en zaterdag, ontbijt op zaterdag en zondag, en gratis bier, huiswijn en frisdrank van 17.30 tot 21.00 uur.
€ 279 per person in a Classic Single Room, including coffee, pastries, and sparkling wine from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on the day of arrival, dinner on Friday and Saturday, breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, and complimentary beer, house wine, and soft drinks from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM.
Dogs are welcome and stay overnight free of charge.
Parking in the hotel’s private car park is free. Use of the hotel’s bowling alley is free.
The cost for lunch on Saturday and Sunday, a visit to the textile factory in Bocholt, coffee with three types of flatbread in Raesfeld, the Ton Schulten Museum, or the open-air museum in Ootmarsum, as well as providing the road book and all organisational matters, is € 70 per person.
You can register as follows:
1. First, send an email to the organizers.
2. Your participation will then be confirmed, and you will receive a unique number. You can use this number to reserve your room. You must pay the hotel costs yourself upon check-out on Sunday. You can book your room by emailing the hotel.
3. After receiving confirmation from the hotel, you can then register on the GCCC website. This is possible until Sunday, September 14th at the latest.
The email addresses of the hotel and the organizers are listed in the announcement email.
Cancellation of a hotel room reservation is free of charge until 6:00 pm on the day of arrival: October 24, 2025. Cancellations after this date will incur a full 100% charge. If you wish to cancel your reservation, please email both the hotel and the organizers as soon as possible.
Finally, we would also like to inform you that unannounced border controls are currently are carried out regularly in Germany, particularly on the major access roads. Therefore, it is advisable to take your passport with you.
We look forward to seeing you and having a fantastic Bad Bentheim Classics 2025.
Disclaimer
The GCCC excludes all liability for damages of any kind. Photos and videos will be taken during the ride. If you do not wish this to happen, you are responsible for them by kindly asking the photographer or videographer not to film you or your car (license plate). Photos and videos are generally shared on the personal Facebook and Instagram pages of individual participants and on the GCCC Facebook page.