Ghent Festival: oh wat a party!
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Loading... - Anton Schmidt
- 19 Sep 2022
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The surge in interest comes after the festival was cancelled two years running due to the pandemic. On the same Saturday during the ten-day festival in 2019 visitor numbers stood at 95,000.
Bram Van Braeckevelt, the Festival Burgomaster, had expected large numbers after Covid but this is unprecedented: “The number of visitors at the Ghent Festival on Saturday is comparable to the city’s entire population!”
At one point all the carparks in the East Flemish capital were full. The decision was taken to continue to serve punters on several squares. “This helped to avoid too many people being on the move at the same time” explained Braeckevelt.
Saint Bavo’s Square had to stick to its normal closing time as the beer had run out.
No major incidents marred the festival itself. The festival burgomaster praised the organisation and co-operation with the police. “I’m so grateful to the visitors” Braeckevelt concluded. “They partied hard and took care of one another”. Read More...
