- Title: Music festival in Belgian city of Ghent draws large crowds
- Date: 19th July 2017
- Summary: GHENT, BELGIUM (JULY 18, 2017) (REUTERS) PEOPLE WALKING BY SIGN READING (Dutch) "Welcome to Ghent" ROOFED OUTDOOR AREA FULL OF VISITORS AT THE BAR AND SITTING AT TABLES GROUP OF YOUNG MEN EATING BELGIAN FRIES, SAT ON A LEDGE WORKER POURING BEER FROM A TAP INTO A GLASS MOTHER SOCIALISING AND EATING AT A TABLE WITH HER DAUGHTER AND FRIEND'S SON FULL DRINK AND SANDWICH SET ON TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) GHENT NATIVE AND VISITOR TO THE FESTIVAL, HILDE VAN DINGENEN, SAYING: "As a whole I don't have the impression that people actually care (about the threat of attacks) or that they would be afraid to come somewhere. You see that all the festivals that are organised, people keep on coming. They are still sold out; there are still many people coming out of their houses, so that it's not that they are afraid because of something that could happen."
- Embargoed: 2nd August 2017 14:50
- Keywords: Festival Ghent live music singing entertainment social bars Flanders
- Location: GHENT, BELGIUM
- City: GHENT, BELGIUM
- Country: Belgium
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Music,Human Interest / Brights / Odd News
- Reuters ID: LVA0016QDVHP5
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Known for its splendid renaissance city centre, canals and churches, the Belgian city of Ghent also hosts one of Europe's largest city festivals.
The ten-day long annual event, known locally as the Gentse Feesten, kicked off with 10 stages and over a hundred thousand people on the biggest nights, filling the squares and streets until late in the evening.
In spite of a wave of Islamic State inspired attacks in Europe and Belgium in recent years, traffic figures from local transport company De Lijn point to an increase in visitor numbers this year.
With a range of music and bars, the city goes through a daily routine of partying into the night followed by mass clean-up, before it all kicks off again the next day.
Each of the 10 stages spread in the city centre are ran by separate organisers, offering a wide range of different styles of music. One of them, ran by Jelle Terria, gives a chance to little known groups to perform in front of the afternoon public.
The festival period includes Belgium's National Day, a bank holiday, on July 21 and will end on the evening of July 23. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
