The Ghent Festival, Europe’s largest street party, has come to an end for another year. During the 10-day festival, the East Flemish capital welcomed just under 1.6 million visitors, slightly fewer than last year.
‘We can look back on a fantastic edition of the Ghent Festival’ says a satisfied Festival Mayor Joris Vandenbroucke. On Sunday, 130,000 visitors attended the last day. In total, the city welcomed 1,595,000 visitors over 10 days, which is 115,000 fewer than last year.
More waste, fewer reports of inappropriate behaviour
The city is taking stock and, in general, we can say that the figures are in line with those of last year.
Refuse company Ivago collected 215 tons of waste up to and including last Friday. That is more than in the same period last year. ‘This can be explained in part by the trade union actions at the start of the festivities and in part by the fact that more selective waste was collected from the squares and food stalls,’ a spokesperson told VRT.
During the Ghent Festival, a total of 91 brawls were reported. A large one occurred on the Korenmarkt on Sunday. ‘During a small fight, someone was arrested, but then the crowd turned on the police. They started throwing projectiles,’ said one officer. Fifteen people were subsequently detained. ‘Calm was quickly restored’ police sources say.
The number of fights is not on the up, the police, who are satisfied, say. ‘We certainly had our work cut out for us.’ But in general, there is no need for concern, the police say. ‘The number of fights is not on the up. Most are minor altercations, and we are quick to respond.’ The police cannot pinpoint a single profile for the brawlers: ‘Young, old, male, female...’
444 cases of public urination were also reported, 248 traffic fines were issued and 94 cars towed away. Finally, if you lost anything n Ghent, it is worth taking a look at the lost and found, because 625 lost items were handed in.
The reporting centre for inappropriate behaviour received 51 reports, which is slightly less than the 55 reports made last year. Of those 51, 19 were related to sexual misconduct.
The fire brigade had to respond to “only” 34 calls, for example for small fires in rubbish bins, an intervention for someone trapped in a lift or to assist the ambulance service.
The Red Cross treated 2,292 visitors, which is slightly more than last year. Most cases involved minor injuries such as grazes, but 174 people had to be taken to A&E.
There were also 32 complaints about noise pollution, 12 fewer than last year. Nine reports were filed for exceeding noise standards.
Alcohol checks on drivers and sailors
6,576 drivers were subjected to alcohol checks, 111 of whom had drunk too much. 14 drivers tested positive in a saliva test.
And it wasn't just drivers who had to fear alcohol checks; The maritime police breathalysed 100 sailors, one of whom tested positive.
Mobility: more cyclists, fewer bus passengers
The way in which revellers travelled to and from the festivities was also mapped out. The bicycle counting stations counted more cyclists than last year, and approximately 60,000 cyclists used the supervised bicycle parks. Bike-sharing providers also saw a significant increase in the number of journeys, ranging from 15 per cent more trips (for Donkey Republic) to 75 per cent more trips (for Bolt).
More people were using a bike, but local transport company De Lijn reported fewer passengers and carparks were not as full as last year. De Lijn transported 300,000 passengers this year, which is 3 per cent less than last year. There was also (slightly) less use of car parks in the city centre.
Hotels will also look back on this year’s Festival with satisfaction: the average occupancy rate was 86.3 percent, 3 percent more than last year.