Gentse Feesten
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The Gentse Feesten is a music and theatre festival in the city of Ghent (Belgium). It starts on the Saturday before July 21 (Belgium's national holiday) and lasts ten days. The last day (always a Monday) is known as De dag van de lege portemonnees (The day of the empty purses) alluding to the fact that many people have spent their last penny at the festival.
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[edit] History
The history of the Gentse Feesten starts with the celebration of the 1st anniversary of the creation of Belgium (1831), so the festival is dating back as long as 1832 ! The intensity of the festivities changed throughout the years, sometimes very strong and radient (e.g. the 100-year anniversary was said to be very festive and lively), but sometimes also very low-key.
The modern day Gentse Feesten were started in the sixties by Ghent singer Walter De Buck and the people from the Trefpunt cafe. In the beginning the festival consisted of one stage near the Saint Jacob Church, but from the late eighties the festival has grown enormously and now covers the whole inner city of Ghent.
Although the festival has become a mass event, it has retained some of the rebellious and anarchistic atmosphere of the early days.
[edit] Size
About 2 million visitors attend the festival, making it one of the biggest cultural and popular festivals in Europe. The number of unique visitors on top nights surpasses 250.000. In a 2005 ranking by www.localfestivities.com, the Gentse Feesten was called the third biggest city festival in Europe, only preceded by the Fallas in Valencia and the Oktoberfest in Munchen.
[edit] Festivals within the Gentse Feesten
Traditionally the shows at the festival have been free, but in the later years a number of side festivals have chosen the period of the Gentse Feesten to organise separate events.
- 123 Comedy Festival (since 2004): comedy festival that attracted around 2000 visitors in 2005.
- Blue Note Festival (since 2002): Jazz festival, the first years in the Count's Castle en then in the Bijloke abbey.
- International Puppetbuskerfestival: festival for puppet players spread over the whole city.
- International Street Theater Festival[1]: street theater
- Polé Polé Festival (since 2003): World Music at the Korenlei and Graslei.
- Ten Days Off (since 1995): electronic dance music in the Vooruit. Around 20.000 visitors in 2005.
- Boomtown (since 2002): Alternative music.
