Ghent welcomed a record-breaking 240,000 visitors on the penultimate day of the 179th Ghent Festival ("Gentse Feesten" in Dutch).
To accommodate this surge of people, all city squares, barring the Vlasmarkt, extended public access by an hour for the second consecutive night. This extension, stressed festival Alderman Bram Van Braeckevelt, is and will remain an exceptional measure.
Saturday’s influx took the festival’s total visitor count to an impressive 1.57 million.
The final day festivities will showcase the traditional Bal 1900, Empty Wallet Market and Candle Procession. Bal 1900, once a celebration where the bourgeois mingled with the common folk in dance, is now a ball featuring dancers dressed in vintage attire. This serves as the starting point for a candlelit procession, with attendees moving towards Korenmarkt at 11 p.m., accompanied by musicians from the Ghent ensemble Brass Party.
At the Empty Wallet Market, people can spend any remaining money until 20:00. “Although wallets are nearly empty, it will not deter us from enjoying another day filled with traditions. We expect large crowds and hot weather, so do remember to stay hydrated and take care of yourself and others,” Van Braeckevelt said.
