"The Festival of Festivals" Gent by Renteboy

My home town! Well in fact I don't lived any more in the city but just outside of it, but I'm still 100% "gentenaar" in hart and kidneys.
As I wrote more that 2 years ago: “I'm still thinking what to write here... ” I finally know now what to write! I spare you the common info of ghent. If you want to visit and enjoy... it takes about 2-3 days to visit Gent. In fact, on the current VT pages there is already more info than I could gather and the www.gent.be site is very generous with all kind of information. But please ask me any questions you may have, I gladly provide you an answer!

As I’m currently writing this during the biggest festival of Belgium, the festival of Ghent, I cannot think of any other subject that crosses my mind… except alcohol, beer and whisky. Knowing my pages I always tried to lighten up my stories, so I will provide you with the info you have to know but won’t find easily!?

For those who don’t know the festival (yet :-) ) It is a 10days festival in the center of Ghent. As far I can remember (that would currently be: “last night round 1AM” and then I probably passed out…) nowadays it is announced as a conjunction of several festivals. One is a mixture of all common music stiles but was original a pure Electronical Music, an other is a pure Jazz festival. These 2 are more outside the center, you have to pay your entry, indoor, … so in my impression not really part of the “whole picture people will have when they went to the festival”. The others are more related and mixed into each other.

It is a FREE festival that contains a dozens podia, beer and food booths, shops, and street animation everywhere… each place a different theme and atmosphere, from folk over rock to surf, from Flemish music to the drums of Africa or Latin dance! You name it, there is entertainment for each and one of us.
In the afternoon the accent is more towards the kids and workshops. So when you’re only there for the fun (read: al-co-hol), you take the time to walk through streets which are always abandon but now crowed with musician and animators. When you’re there with your partner, sit down at one of the many watersides and make some love.
In the evening you probably will eat somewhere and swallow your food with enough beer you speak the accent of Ghent as never before! So at night you see some acts (mostly they start round 20-21PM until 2AM) and round 3AM you slowly drag yourself towards the “Grasmarkt” (it’s the only place that is allowed to push the festival OVER the limits :-) and where the music/fun start where others stop!), where you order some Irish coffees until you suddenly realize the sun is shining in your eyes and people around make yourself aware of the fact that they don’t look very “attractive” anymore and probably you nether. So in act of self preservation you try to remember where you placed your bike or which bus you have to take home… (I did wrote “car” but don’t drink and drive boys and girls!!) Now I mentioned car anyway, this year the effort of placing free car lots outside the city make it a good opportunity to use these! Busses driving in great numbers from and to these facilities anytime, but if you like the morning sun, get yourself a bike or use “your thumb” to hit the road!

festival of Ghent

Now you get a tiny picture how it is (should be :-) ) now, let me tell you … or better “convince” you the festival of Ghent is the biggest of the world, I’ll start with the “birth” of the festival!

Once upon a time … brrrriiiit (that sound of a tape you fast forward while playing) …the Mid-Lent (Ramadan) fair took place in the city, a fair which is still celebrated in present times. In the past, it was not a fair as such, but a large market where the most usual and unusual things were put for sale. This yearly market was mentioned for the first time in 1366!! Note that Christopher Columbus Discovers America in 1492, meaning America was still owned by some feathered people chasing buffalos on horses!! Ps, respect to the Indian culture!! Preserve it and give them there rights!! Eum… sorry, off topic where was I? Ok,

Halfway the period of the Mid-Lent fair there was the famous "Auweet" (from the French "au guet"), a nightly parade of armed members of some guilds and was very famous. On repeated occasions important people from home and abroad came to the city to see the spectacle, among which the duke Philip the Good with his royal household in 1431 and 1444 and Philip le Bel and Margaretha of York in 1500. (Ok, I you mention this because it really doesn’t matter at all who these people are, what they did or didn’t! I don’t know them, probably never will, frankly I don’t give a d*mn who there are, but I just want to reveal my source which are my mom and dad (hi mon), very noble and intellectual friends like I am (kuch) and the official site itself of the festival. (sorted ascending according “information-level” (sorry mom) ) I must get back on track, to confusing to for the readers… Now one quote I won’t conceal for you which is:

“According to an observer from Lille, way back in 1541, the nocturnal city was converted into a place of drunkenness, sin, superstition, adultery, lawlessness and manslaughter.”

the next sentence commented on the site is “Probably the story will be a bit exaggerated.” But that’s just because they try to convince you to come to the festival!!!
Nah, don’t worry, we killed the last manslaughter a few years ago!, so it's pretty safe now ;-)

In the end of the 18th century Ghent was a big industrial city! Know that most of the people lived in poverty and worked in these factories and lots of them drunk as much as I do. At that time there where about eight fairs in Ghent, lasting on average nine days. Combining these results in lots of people where too sick to go to work and, under pressure of the entrepreneurs, the Municipality decided in 1779 to combine them and organize only one fair per year, which is still as today! (you take the 3rd Sunday of July and the Saturday before that day the festival starts.)

To be correct, there were many up’s and down’s (perhaps more down than ups) but thanks to people/icons as Romain Deconinck, Walter De Buck and maybe some others I can’t remember, the festival was saved from abolishment and is grown at the size of today.
May Saint-Jacob guard them and our festival!

• Pros:Warm city
• Cons:sometimes to much people :)
• In a nutshell:Ghent you love it!