Colors of Gent - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

Excellent textile factories have made Ghent internationally famous. Gorgeous fabrics, which have been produced in the city during several hundred years, are exceptionally valued by many famous fashion designers. One of the major talents of local people is the production of quality wool and delicate lace. Products made of local fabrics will become a great gift or a memorable souvenir.

Local people are distinguished by love to nature and, in particular, to flowers. Ghent is surrounded by beautiful flower fields and the streets of the city are literally drowning in colorful fragrant flower beds. Flower Show is one of major national holidays of Ghent. This celebration is held only one time in 5 years. During the festival the city hosts colorful parades. Here are opened flower fair trades, and for a few days Ghent simply dives into the atmosphere of triumph and euphoria. Quite a notable fact - during the holiday not only local people have fun, but also thousands of tourists learn successfully local songs and dances. The hospitality and friendliness of local people still do Ghent Bole charming and cozy town.

Travelers are highly advised to visit the city during the days of 'Ghent Festival’, which is the biggest celebration of its kind in Europe. The venue of the festival is the central square of Ghent. Here take place all major activities. The main event of the holiday is a special fair, which attracts huge number of tourists from neighboring cities and countries. On numerous sales, which are organized during the festival, you can buy unique handmade crafts, interesting items for home decoration, candies and drinks, and other popular gifts. It should be also noted that previously all holiday activities were limited to a holiday fair only, but every year more and more interesting cultural events are organized during the festival - concerts, theater and dance performances. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Living in Gent, we are planning our time not from the holiday to the holiday, but from the festival to the festival. If you will have the opportunity to visit this amazing city again, be sure to take this opportunity and use it to its fullest. We can promise you that you will get an unforgettable experience in the best sense from each and one celebration! The first festival of the year takes place in January and known as the Gent Festival of Light or Lichtfestival Gent. This festival earned a huge success with the public. But the most favorite festival among local people and tourists is the Gentse Feesten, an annual ten-day cultural festival which includes the mass of events. It is held in the Belgian city of Gent for more than 160 years and is considered one of the largest and most interesting festivals in Europe. The program includes free musical performances, open dance lessons, performances of street theaters and much more.

Today, the Gent Festival is one of the most beloved events in the Europe. Annually it is visited by more than one and a half million people. The heart of the festival is the central square of the city - St. James Square. There are many free performances: alternative rock bands, ethnic groups, music from different nations, show their cabaret programs and demonstrate their talents as DJs. In the festival program, in addition to free concerts, there are also paid ones: jazz, modern electronic music, street theaters and puppet theaters. The program also includes concerts of classical and pop music, costumed balls, historical parades, and fireworks. Initially, the international Blue Note Festiva was held in the framework of the glorious Gent Festival. The name of the festival was changed in 2008, and with the time, the Gent Jazz Festival completely got separated from the main event. First of all, because Gent Jazz Festival has a slightly different target audience. The festival takes place in the magnificent historical complex Bijloke, which in itself deserves a separate visit and brings together the leading jazz musicians of the world (Toots Thielemans himself for many years made the festival honorable by his presence). However, the program is not limited to jazz: in 2012, the incredible Rodrigo y Gabriela gave the concert at this festival!

OdeGand - is the one-day music festival, which opens the Flanders Festival in Gent. The play of words in its name can be interpreted both as an "ode to Gent" and as "Gent water" (some concerts pass directly on the banks of the River Lys, and you can travel between concert halls on tourist Boats that organizers of the festival rent for the whole day). The ticket for the festival allows you to enter all the concerts, but you can not visit more than four concerts during the day. Visitors independently build their entertainment programs for the day, where each performance is repeated at least twice. In addition to concerts, you will need a ticket to enter the city, free concerts in the open air are held throughout the city, and everything ends with fireworks on the most beautiful waterfront of the city - Zernovaya. If you are going to OdeGend, keep in mind that tickets must be bought in advance and that before the beginning of the concert, they must be changed at special points to a plastic card, which is admitted to the halls. To the card is attached and the program of the festival with a map of the city, on which all concert halls are designated.