The Gentse Feesten 2011

When I first heard about the Gentse Feesten from Erasmus students I had an image in my mind of a festival sort of Oktoberfest. But being that it’s a music and theatre festival, it became more intriguing. I imagined stages, bands, buskers, food stands, beer vendors and many people on the street.


On the first day of the Festival July 16, 2011, the day greeted us with a never-ending pouring rain and cool temperatures. At first, we doubted the success of the festival and potential poor attendance. In hopes for the best, we took a decision to tough it out; zip-up sweaters and rain-coats, and off we went.

The rain kept on and off but surprisingly it did not stop throngs of people from showing up. Adults strolled around eating and drinking, some lined-up in front of food stands and beer shacks, and kids jumped around in disarray and excitement. It was safe since no cars were allowed within the festival’s limits. Music blared from different stages, and party people with handful of beers danced as bands took their turns on and off stage.

As I had imagined, music was a remarkable aspect of the festival. There were many exciting stages but one stood out very prominently. With its façade looking like a Great White’s open mouth with sharp teeth ready to devour a prey, Polé Polé stage (the main stage) produced a phenomenal acoustic resonance of World Music, Soul, Funk, Reggae etc… The sound drew spectators within the open jaws, and they all seemed happy to be dancing their way into the belly of the beast. At night, this sensationally audible creature’s mouth and triangular teeth lit varying disco colors creating an atmosphere that was vivid, mesmerizing and upbeat.

The singers threw jokes sending the crowd into cheers and oftentimes educated people about their music. In the case of Klody Ndongala Project, a Congolese Salsa/Zouk band based in Brussels, the lyrics were in Lingala, an African dialect, every now and then they translated choruses into French and/or English to interact with the crowd. It was quite charming.

Along the canal, there were rows of bars, each with its own party vibe, and people pub crawled. Directly in front of the bars, there was a dancing stage that extended above the water where people could dance and also have an amazing view of Polé Polé stage right cross the canal.

As days went on, the weather was still cloudy but less and less rain. The crowd seemed to double each day with people of all races, young and old, from different countries, Americans to Australians, Chinese to Brazilians Etc…. Multicultural would be an appropriate adjective to describe it. This experience somehow reminded me of LUMINATO (www.luminato.com), a fairly similar festival held annually in the city where I live, Toronto, Canada.


I absolutely recommend Gentse Feesten to all who enjoy street festivals and like to partake in cultural celebrations. Artistically, Gentse Feesten incorporates the Belgian city of Gent’s old architecture, lights, visual art and creativity to produce one brilliant 10 day exhibition of sound, sight, taste and culture. My expectations were exceeded and I thoroughly had a blast! Definitely a summer must-do!

Review & Photos: Steve Tunzi