About 100,000 people attended the opening night of the Gentse Feesten, around 70,000 fewer than last year’s reported figure, which organisers say was inflated by a counting-system error.
The festival got off to what festivities mayor Joris Vandenbroucke called a strong start, with five separate opening parades moving through different neighbourhoods.
He said the parades captured the spirit of the Gentse Feesten, describing them as popular, unifying, creative and slightly rebellious. “Everyone felt: this is our Ghent,” he said.
Vandenbroucke did not say whether the city would return to one large opening parade in future years.
Although this year’s opening-night attendance was lower than last year’s reported 170,000, Vandenbroucke said the comparison was misleading because of a bug in the counting system in 2024. He said the new figures were accurate and that the atmosphere and crowd levels felt similar to last year.
Not everything went smoothly on the first night. The Polé Polé stage initially failed inspection and was only allowed to open at 22:30.
Vandenbroucke said the stage had not been built as agreed and was approved only after changes were made. He said the situation should not happen again.
There were also problems at the Vlasmarkt, where access was restricted for the first time this year when the area became too crowded. The measure immediately caused frustration among visitors.
The city has now decided to return to last year’s approach, using the usual crowd-management measures instead. Vlasmarkt will no longer be closed when it becomes very busy.
Groentenmarkt and Kouter were also temporarily closed during the night because of crowding.
