In several seaside resorts, the construction of beach bars has already started. Officially today is the first day work can commence. In popular Blankenberge and up-market Knokke-Heist the builders are already hard at work. There they hope the beach bars will be ready to open within 2 weeks.
During the warm, sunny days of the recent half-term break, they would have come in handy, but operators had to wait for the official start of the beach bar building season.
Even though it was bitterly cold with a nasty northerly rolling in from a grey North Sea, in Blankenberge they immediately rolled up their sleeves and put grease to their elbows. ‘People are always happy when they see us again,’ explains Jarne De Fauw, manager of the Lilo Beach. ‘They wave from the promenade and wish us good luck.’
‘Winter has lasted long enough. And this is ideal weather to build our beach bars. Last year, we had to do this in the rain. Dry weather makes a big difference for us!’
Most hope to open in as little as two weeks. ‘Today we are mainly busy putting up the fences and marking everything out properly,’ says Dean Dekempe of Sun Beach. ‘And of course, we’re shovelling a lot of sand.’
With 24 beach bars Knokke-Heist leads
Blankenberge boasts 13 beach bars or similar establishments, which puts it in 2nd place in terms of the number of beach bars. Without a doubt, the front runner is Knokke-Heist. There, there are no fewer than 24 beach bars.
‘The sun put in an appearance at the start to the construction of our beach bars, children's parks and the first beach cabins in Knokke-Heist,’ says alderman Bert De Brabandere. ‘We can already start to dream of a wonderful summer.’
In the other coastal resorts too, beach bars will gradually appear on the beach. Nine are planned in Ostend, eight in Middelkerke. Zeebrugge, De Haan, Bredene and Nieuwpoort each have 3, Koksijde 2 and De Panne only 1 beach bar.