The Belgian national squad, the Red Devils, play Spain in the quarter-final of the men’s World Cup in Los Angeles on Friday.
Several events and music festivals are adjusting their schedules on account of the Red Devils’ match. The match takes place on Friday evening at 9 pm CEST, at a time when many other events are taking place.
Open air theatre OLT Rivierenhof in Deurne (Antwerp) has removed two acts from its programme. Singer Kaat Van Stralen is bringing forward her set, which will finish just before the match.
On the coast, Ostend Beach festival is also making changes. Average Rob and Omdat Het Kan will play their DJ sets just before the match. At both events, the match will also be shown on a big screen.
On Friday evening, there are also plenty of events taking place as part of the run up to Saturday’s Flemish national holiday and its cultural programme ‘Vlaanderen Feest’ (Flanders Parties). In Sint-Niklaas (East Flanders), amongst other places, a performance has been brought forward due to the football match.
Brussels Airlines to operate Red Devils-themed aircraft only on Spanish destinations
The Belgian airline Brussels Airlines will be flying its ‘Trident’ aircraft exclusively on flights to and from Spain over the coming days. This is the aircraft painted in the colours of the Red Devils and the Red Flames, the Belgian women’s national football squad.
Tongue in cheek, the airline hopes to challenge Spain, the Red Devils’ opponents in the World Cup on Friday. The aircraft is normally deployed to various destinations across Europe, but from yesterday until Friday, it will fly exclusively to and from Spain.
A first version of the ‘Trident’ aircraft was kitted out with a Red Devils-themed livery between 2016 and 2022. This was followed by an update, in which the Red Flames, the national women’s football team, were also featured on the aircraft’s livery.