If you’ve ever been around university students in French-speaking Belgium, you might stumble upon the word “guindaille.”
Pronounced something like gahn-DYE, it’s a term that instantly calls to mind student parties, and not just any parties, but long, loud, and tradition-filled celebrations.
A guindaille is usually tied to Belgian student folklore, especially in cities like Liège, Namur, and Louvain-la-Neuve.
These events are often organised by student circles (cercles), and they mix heavy drinking with songs, chants, rituals, and a sense of camaraderie that’s hard to explain if you haven’t lived it. Beer, of course, tends to flow generously.
But guindaille is more than just a party. It’s a social institution and a rite of passage in student life. For many Belgians, stories of their university years are often punctuated by tales of guindailles — sometimes chaotic, sometimes hilarious, always unforgettable.
The word itself has become shorthand for that uniquely Belgian mix of festivity, student folklore, and a certain proud messiness. If you hear someone say “On va à une guindaille ce soir,” prepare yourself: it’s going to be a very long night.
See all our previous ‘Belgian word of the day’ features here.
