How to cook up a Japanese film festival

by Nina - 9 March, 20208 March, 2020

Last updated: 8th March, 2020 About 10 years ago, Tomoko Kaji found herself at the opening night of the budding Japan Square film festival in Ghent. Even though she had heard about the festival from her husband, renowned Japanologist and festival collaborator Luk Van Haute, she didn't know what to expect. She

The Many Lights of Christmas

by Nina - 7 November, 201911 November, 2019

The Many Lights of Christmas Updated for 2019! On Friday, 6th December 2019, the most wonderful time of the year starts in Ghent officially: the time of the year when twinkling decorative lights bring some respite from the incessant darkness and the sound of Jingle Bells on loop in shops threatens to

Best Ghent festivals in autumn

by Nina - 7 October, 2019

A woman dancing flamenco in a bright red dress

If you thought that the festival season in Ghent finishes with the close of summer, you have obviously not been living here for long. Gentenaars do not let the seasons define their festival plans. Bridging the gap between the summer festive feeling and Christmas time, several festivals brighten up the

Autumn Gent Festival

by Nina - 13 September, 201913 September, 2019

If you thought that the music festival season in Ghent finishes with the close of summer, you have obviously not been living here for long. Gentenaars do not let the seasons define their festival plans. Bridging the gap between the summer festive feeling and the usually rainy Film Fest Gent

Quirky Things to See and Do in Gent

by Guest author - 30 January, 201919 May, 2019

Tourism to Gent is booming as more people discover that there is more to Belgium than just Brussels and Bruges. Gent's popularity will come as no surprise to expats who live here. There is something for everyone in this medieval city, and as friends and family take advantage of a free

The Curious Case of Ham-Dressed University Pillars

by Nina - 25 June, 201819 May, 2019

An animated discussion on the appeal of the Broche pillar on Korenmarkt or the love-hate relationship of Gentenaars with the Schapenstal (sheep barn, a pet name for the Stadshal on the Emile Braunplein) - these are just two examples of how engaged the city dwellers are when it comes to

Cosplay and FACTS – a great way to make friends

by Nina - 20 October, 201713 April, 2019

This weekend you might bump into Hogwarts students, Dr Who companions and anime characters trekking from Gent-Sint-Pieters towards the Flanders Expo. If you are wondering where they are going and what they are doing, read on. FACTS, the largest Belgian comic con, happens twice a year, in October and April

Enjoying Gentse Feesten 2017 with Kids

by Rebecca Bramlett - 1 July, 201731 July, 2019

When I first heard about Gentse Feesten, it was described to me as a mega-festival with partying and drinking alcohol until the early morning hours, every night, for 10 days. While it sounded fun for the (much younger than me) Gentenaar who was describing it, I found it hard to