Saturday 12 September: Ghent on the move

At 11am, two parades set off simultaneously.

The façade from the Vrijdagmarkt makes its way towards Kammerstraat, Botermarkt (City Hall) before crossing Sint-Michielsbrug and continuing towards Hoogstraat. After a special encounter on Bargiebrug, the façade will make its way towards Fonteineplein via Phoenixstraat and Bevrijdingslaan.

Setting off from the opposite direction, the façade from Fonteineplein will follow the same route in reverse: via Bevrijdingslaan and Phoenixstraat to Bargiebrug, then continuing via Hoogstraat, Sint-Michielsbrug and Botermarkt to Vrijdagmarkt.

At around 12pm, the moment everything has been leading up to takes place on Bargiebrug: the two façades and their parades meet.

For a moment, the movement comes to a stop as a musical encounter unfolds between the two façades.

At around 1pm, the façades arrive at their new destinations: one on the Vrijdagmarkt, the other on Fonteineplein.

Over the course of the afternoon, they are prepared for their festive welcome.

As evening falls, both squares come alive once again. From 8pm, the newly arrived façades are given a festive welcome on both Fonteineplein and the Vrijdagmarkt.

And each square celebrates in its own way.

At 8pm, the façade will be officially inaugurated on Fonteineplein. Afterwards, the square will be taken over by a programme firmly rooted in the local community.

8:00 pm | De Propere Fanfare

A wonderful and wonderfully eccentric group of more than fifty people: that is De Propere Fanfare. Musicians, acrobats, street performers and dancers come together to form one colourful and joyfully unconventional ensemble.

Their connection to the neighbourhood is woven into the very fabric of the fanfare: all participants live in or have ties to the Brugse Poort.

9pm | Goeste Majeur Orchestra — Sudan & Palestina in de kijker

For Sudan & Palestina in de kijker, Goeste Majeur Orchestra brings together a 36-strong ensemble of musicians of different ages and cultural backgrounds. Accordionist Jonas De Rave joined forces with Palestinian-Ghent musician Husam Tamari and Sudanese musician Ahmed Al Tayib Al Ahmar to explore some of their favourite repertoire from Palestine and Sudan.

10pm | Khail, Myms & Typara

Khail: Behind the microphone is Khail, a Ghent-based artist with Turkish roots. Together with Myms, he draws inspiration from the generations that came before them, while giving those influences a distinctly contemporary twist. Expect profound lyrics, plenty of energy, and Dutch and Turkish flowing effortlessly into one another.

Myms: Myms is also from Ghent and has Turkish roots. Together with Khail, he creates rap in which different languages, generations and influences come together. Their music also emerges from the heart of the city's social fabric: the songs are written and recorded every week in a neighbourhood studio at Together We Stand, a place where young people come together to develop their talents and find their voice.

Typara: Typara supports Khail and Myms with his own productions and beats. A producer and social worker, he is from Beverenplein in the Bloemekenswijk neighbourhood.

10:30 pm | DJ Losbol

As the evening continues, DJ Losbol, aka Olivier Rosseel, takes over. This Ghent-based vinyl digger and music lover through and through dives into his collection for an eclectic and, above all, highly danceable set: from funk and world music to sounds from the 80s and 90s. His connection to the Brugse Poort is personal too. He lives nearby, has been volunteering at De Koer for years and is a regular DJ at Bal Mundial. He also met his girlfriend in the Brugse Poort and occasionally spins records at Café Hotel Columbo.

On the Vrijdagmarkt, too, the newly arrived façade will be officially welcomed from 8pm. Afterwards, music takes over the square, with the International Opera Academy and KM De Neerschelde.

International Opera Academy & KM De Neerschelde

On the Vrijdagmarkt, young talent meets a long-standing Ghent musical tradition. The International Opera Academy (IOA) gives a new generation of classically trained singers and répétiteurs the opportunity to further develop their skills as they prepare for a professional career in opera. The Young Artists join forces with KM De Neerschelde.

This concert band has been a fixture of Ghent's musical life since 1844 and can still be heard at many locations across the city today.
On 12 September, these two musical worlds come together on the Vrijdagmarkt to give the newly arrived façade a festive welcome.