AALST CARNIVAL

Everyone associates Aalst with a carnival. Every year, this unique public festival totally takes over the city for 3 days and 3 nights.

During the Sunday procession, more than 100 carnival groups head through the centre's streets. Humour and self-mockery are the central thread in this colourful parade.

On Monday, Aalst's Gilles drive out evil spirits during their traditional broom dance on the Grote Markt. This is followed by the onion-throwing, where thousands of little onions are thrown at the public from balconies.

Tuesday is the day of the voil jeanetten, an ode to the old carnival tradition where men dress as women. Mandatory accessories are a corset, broken umbrella, birdcage with dry herring, lampshade and 'vellen frak' (fur coat).

The tears shed on Tuesday evening, when the carnival puppet goes up in flames, are real. Men and women, young and old, rich and poor, Aalst Carnival is alive in all layers of the population.

Wave the sceptre in Aalst with the magical carnival walk

The story behind the biggest carnival in this country? You can discover that in a way you've never seen before thanks to the magical carnival walk. A surprising interactive journey through Aalst's city centre is another thing you can experience on the 362 non-carnival days in the huge story of Aalst Carnival. At various locations in the city, you can activate audio, video and animation that fully immerses you in this country's largest folk festival with your own personal princely sceptre.

Unravel the secret recipe for Aalst Carnival with a city guide

Led by the guide, discover all the elements of this colourful parade of tradition and heritage. At ‘t Gasthuys – Urban Museum, you can dive into the who, what, how and why of the most exuberant carnival festival. After that, you can walk along with the guide to the carnival work halls. This is where the carnival performers work on their floats. You can visit several work halls and discover how the people of Aalst's creativity takes form in the floats.

Experience Aalst Carnival from a front-row seat with the VIP arrangement

Along with selected accommodation, Visit Aalst will indulge you for two days with countless exclusive benefits. The adrenaline in the work halls the night before, the excitement among the carnival groups when forming the procession, the jubilation of the carnival-goers during their high point on the Grote Markt, ... you can experience it all from a front-row seat.