1.5 Million People Attended The Gentse Feesten In Belgium

The Gentse Feesten is simply a ten-day taste ceremony featuring music, theatre, thoroughfare performances and galore different fascinating side-events that has been taking spot for complete 50 years successful Ghent, immoderate 40 miles northeast of nan superior Brussels.

This year, nan show drew 1,595,000 visitors, which, though staggering, is astir 115,000 less than successful 2024, said Joris Vandenbroucke, nan city’s festivities mayor, who called nan world arena a “wonderful edition”.

Unfortunately, constabulary besides intervened successful nan event. A fewer fights collapsed out, and 1 night, a personification had to beryllium overpowered by officers to put things backmost nether control.

Despite nan brawls, organisers said they were mostly satisfied pinch this year’s edition.

“We tin telephone it a successful version truthful far,” said Vandebroucke. “The number of visitors will beryllium somewhat little than past year, astatine astir 1.6 million, but that’s not bad. The ambiance is convivial, group instrumentality around, and it’s easier to order, which successful move generates revenue.”

Some group for illustration Polé Polé

The younger generations usually for illustration Polé Polé connected Koren- en Grasle, an arena successful Ghent arsenic well, but that is much of a statement pinch tropical euphony pinch Latin, Afro and world rhythms. “And that’s a bully thing,” says Vandenbroucke.

“Depending connected nan location and clip of day, you really spot each ages astatine nan Ghent Festivities. But it was truthful packed that for nan first time, we had to adjacent Polé Polé to forestall immoderate much visitors from arriving,” nan politician added.

Some 130,000 group crowded nan metropolis centre connected nan last time of nan festival, Friday night. Although location were somewhat less group wide than past year, Vandenbroucke said he was “super proud and ace satisfied” pinch really nan festival went, particularly nan equilibrium achieved betwixt ceremony and liveability successful nan city, which has a organization of approximately  270,000.

Over 90 fights but little sound pollution

There were besides less complaints this twelvemonth astir sound contamination and greater tolerance among residents, said nan mayor, who thanked section residents for their tolerance. “We person shown that it is possible: a vibrant metropolis and satisfied residents.”

The constabulary recorded 91 fights, while nan occurrence brigade responded to 34 calls, nan Belga News Agency wrote. The Red Cross assisted astir 2,300 visitors, 174 of whom were rushed to nan hospital. The reporting centre for inappropriate behaviour received 51 reports, 19 of which concerned intersexual misconduct.

Prepare for adjacent year. The adjacent version is scheduled to return spot from July 17th to 26th, 2026.

And remember, astir 1.6 cardinal group attend, drawn by nan programme’s breadth, accessibility and variety, each of which remained intact this twelvemonth contempt nan upwind conditions, nan politician concluded.