The Ghent Festival has its origins in the 19th century, when the fathers of the city of Ghent decided to consolidate the weekly Sunday celebrations in the neighborhood (or drunken beer-fed blowouts) by poorly paid common people at a general fair, thinking that such a strategy could cut down some of the times absent Mondays. But the idea of a cathartic liberation for the peasants comes from the medieval period, where celebrations in the middle of Lent, such as carnival or the feast of fools, were supposed to be a kind of change, with the common status of the people winning and temporarily achieving freedom from nose-to-grind misery while the rich were dragged into the background.
The celebrations were sponsored by the cities and those same rich people, of course; a subsidy that, although it exists for a short time each year, would have been considerable.
Festival evolution
The first festivities in Ghent revolved around horse racing. Then, in the early 20th century, the festivities moved to the city center, where the ‘Bal Populaire’ was held, with the aristocracy occupying the paved section of the square and the rest… well, it was miserable and dusty on their side.
By the late 1960s, Ghent’s festivities had become too “middle-class” to get excited about. Enter the legendary Walter De Buck, who along with his musician friends organized their own festivities. Countercultural to the core, De Buck dug barbs into the Catholic Church, the township, and politicians. His performance was a success and he got the festival back on track, subsidized, of course, by the Ghent municipality that he skewered. Like old times.
Ghent, in fact, subsidizes another effort: Graffiti Walls. Yes, to keep Ghent’s monuments clean, the city makes a pact with graffiti artists: “We will give you pristine alleys to practice your art if you promise to work only in these areas.” So far, the social contract is working quite well. You can see some of the art produced in these areas at Ghentizm: Graffiti in Ghent.
The Ghent festival today
The Ghent Festival promises “pop music, folk rock, rock ‘n’ roll, hip hop, jazz, R’n’B and much more in all the squares of the city center.” There is theater, comedy, sightseeing, exhibitions, boat trips on the River Lys. And there’s always that good food (and beer!) That Belgians are famous for.
More than one festival
Different festivals occur at the same time, including the Ghent Jazz Festival, International Street Theater Festival, International Puppetbuskersfestival and the 10-day free dance festival.
