Gent
Entertainment
The local beer, Stropken (meaning ‘noose’), takes its name from a key event in the city’s past. When the people of Gent rebelled against an increase in taxes in 1540 to raise war funds, Charles the Great returned to his hometown and exacted severe punishment on the ringleaders by hanging them. To this day, residents of Gent are often referred to by other Belgians as stropdragers (‘noose-wearers’).
There are plenty of good bars across the city where you can sample the local Stropken beer and many other Belgian brews, such as Het Wateruis aan de Bierkant (Groentenmarkt) with its pleasant canal-side setting and extensive beer menu.
Gent is also well known for its great festivals, the most famous of which is the Gentse Feesten, a 10-day party in July during which the city never sleeps. The tiny city centre is packed to the brim with revellers enjoying the bars, open-air music stages and street theatres. As part of this festival there’s a techno party, Ten Days Off, which attracts top DJs from all over the world.
There are plenty of good bars across the city where you can sample the local Stropken beer and many other Belgian brews, such as Het Wateruis aan de Bierkant (Groentenmarkt) with its pleasant canal-side setting and extensive beer menu.
Gent is also well known for its great festivals, the most famous of which is the Gentse Feesten, a 10-day party in July during which the city never sleeps. The tiny city centre is packed to the brim with revellers enjoying the bars, open-air music stages and street theatres. As part of this festival there’s a techno party, Ten Days Off, which attracts top DJs from all over the world.