Ommegang Folk Festival and Parade in Brussels City Centre
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Loading... - Marie Werner
- 03 Jul 2024
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This week, Brussels is transformed into a vibrant Renaissance celebration as the Ommegang folk festival returns, featuring jousting knights, crossbow demonstrations, and the renowned procession that culminates in a grand spectacle at the Grand Place.
The Brussels Renaissance Festival has already brought historic tours, treasure hunts, and exhibitions to the Belgian capital, recreating life in the 15th and 16th centuries and highlighting the city’s medieval history. The festivities reach their pinnacle with the traditional 'Ommegang' folk festival, taking place in the city centre, and concluding with spectacular events at the Grand Place on Wednesday and Friday.
The festival reenacts the 1549 arrival of Charles V, the most powerful monarch of the 16th century, whose main residence was Brussels. This historic moment, when Charles presented his son, the future Philip II, is relived with preserved royal symbolism, including the display of royal colours and flags outside the great European houses.
The highlight of Ommegang is its famous procession, recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. This grand procession takes place on Wednesday and Friday, while other Renaissance-themed activities occur daily from Wednesday to Saturday.
A 'Renaissance Village' will be set up in Sablon, offering a glimpse into the customs of centuries past. Craftspeople from across Europe, including barbers, blacksmiths, and ironworkers, will demonstrate their trades and showcase a variety of products typical of the Renaissance period.
On Wednesday and Friday evenings, crossbow competitions between the two Brussels guilds of archers will be held in front of the Church of Eglise Notre-Dame du Sablon. According to tradition, the winner will enter the Grand Place during the Ommegang parade with the golden arrow.
Around this time, the Ommegang procession, consisting of 900 participants representing 74 folklore groups from around Belgium, will gather in Parc de Bruxelles near the Royal Palace. Charles V's carriage will set off at 20:15, passing through Rue de la Régence and Rue des Sablons.
The procession will proceed to the Eglise Notre-Dame du Sablon to join the crossbowmen, archers, and fencers. The carriage will then leave the Sablon just before 21:00, following a 1.5 km route through various streets including Rue Lebeau, Place de la Justice, Rue de l'Hôpital, Place Saint-Jean, Rue Duquesnoy, Rue Infante Isabelle, Rue Marché aux Herbes, Rue de Tabora, Rue du Midi, Rue des Moineaux, Rue de l'Etuve, and Rue Charles-Buls before arriving at the Grand Place.
At the Grand Place, 1,400 participants in period costumes, including musicians, singers, dancers, horsemen, uniformed guards, and flag-bearers, will reenact the story of Charles V's arrival in Brussels. The show will feature large flags, walking stilts, horseback riding, and puppet theatre performances, creating a vivid and immersive experience of Renaissance Brussels.
