Around 180,000 people gathered in Ghent's city centre on Friday for the start of the 179th edition of the Ghent Festival. This popular event, attended by locals and tourists of all ages, offers ten days of musical celebrations.
The festival's popularity has continued to grow, with the first day's attendance numbers slightly higher than last year's 160,000 count; an increase from the 10,000 more than those who attended in 2022. Previous festival launches saw 105,000 attendees in 2019 and 110,000 in 2018.
The sun and heat, both scarce over recent weeks, imbued Ghent and its ancient alleys with a festive holiday air. The conditions were too much for some, however, and emergency services had to attend to several individuals. In total, the services assisted 178 visitors, with 15 needing hospital transfers.
Scattered across the city's 14 stages, the crowd danced so fervently that a wooden dance floor at the Baudelohof gave way under the weight of the revellers. No serious issues occurred, and the festival organisers promised swift repairs.
In line with recent advancements, this year's nearly bicentennial event introduced a reusable drink cup system. If the cups were previously used in the most recent festivals, each stage managed its own system, restricting cup exchanges to the original pick-up point only.
After a short night, Ghent awakened at around 14:00 on Saturday to the tunes of 743 saxophonists. The ensemble, made up of delegations from all over the country and even the UK, energised Sint-Baafsplein, which connects St. Bavo's Cathedral to the belfry.
