Music

This bar is actually linked to the ‘Geus van Gent’, a liberal centre where a lot of organizations have their homebase and from which a series of activities is set up. Their meeting point ‘Het Geuzenhuis’ has become a nice bar for everyone to enjoy.

Het Geuzenhuis is near the movie complex so mostly after a cinema visit, I like to come here for a drink and discuss the film we’ve just seen. Sometimes you have to be lucky to find an available spot as this is a popular place, especially during the week when a lot of students find their way to this bar.

When you enter, it feels like you are entering your own personal living room with the wooden tables, red covered couches, book shelves and retro cinema chairs. There are several separate and cozy corners where you can make yourselves comfortable with a hot tea or coco.

Not only is this a great place to lay back and relax, you can find some action as well: playing a game of pool or listening to the weekly organized jam sessions with some fabulous jazz musicians!

You could call this festival the smaller brother of the famous ‘Gentse Feesten‘. That one attracts loads of tourists and guarantees 10 days of madness all over the center of Ghent, the ‘Patersholfeesten’ are much smaller, intimate and with a more local public. Although when the weather gods are generous, it can get pretty crowded here as well. 

During the second weekend of August (9 – 11 august 2013) the alleys of the oldest, and my favorite, neighbourhood of Ghent are filled with people of all ages. There’s a full program with street artists, exhibitions, activities for children, and lots of other performances. The epicentre of the festivities is definitely ‘het Kaatsspelplein’.

At the same time as the Patershol festivities, also the Oudburg festivities have a full program with activities. Oudburg is adjacent to the Patershol. Here you will find quite a young public as there are lots of DJ-sets organised. Last year I was here, I must say there was a great vibe!

On Sunday (from 08:00 – 16:00) there’s a flea market all over the place. It’s definitely worth a visit, just already for the atmosphere!

The festivities end with the ‘Kaarskensprocessie’ (with starting and arrival point ‘het Kaatsspelplein’ and the symbolic extinction off the Patershol festivities (picture).

Het Trefpunt is one of the nice bars on the ‘Bij Sint-Jacobs-square’. One of the reasons I really like the place is because of the mixture of people you can meet here. Young, old, foreign, fashionable, seedy, name it and you can find them in this café.

The bar is part of a cultural organisation called VZW het trefpunt. They organise a lot of stuff like concerts, comedy-shows and so on.

Every Monday there is a free concert. On Sunday evenings they have DJ-sessions. Every Thursday evening at 9 pm they organise a stand-up-comedy-show in the venue next to the café with the improv comedians “The Lunatics” and sometimes a guest comedian. Usually the comedians perform in Dutch language, but sometimes the guest comedians perform in English as well. It depends, so it’s worth to have a look. 

Maybe you already noticed that I’m quite a foodie. When visiting Belgium you probably would like to try some real Belgian dishes. I have a great tip: restaurant/brasserie Belgaqueen! Founded by the famous Antoine Pinto and located in a former grain storehouse in the ancient center of Ghent it’s the perfect place for a gastronomic night out. Now that spring has finally arrived it’s possible to have dinner on their terrace with a magnificent view over the Korenlei.

The prices are quite high (I always go there with my parents because the price range is too high for my poor student budget) but it’s definitely worth it if you want to try some real Belgian quality food. Pinto’s philosophy consists of using high quality local products. Even the wines come from Belgian winegrowers abroad.

Although I have never been in the ‘club part’ of the restaurant I think I should mention it. On the first floor there is a kind of lounge bar where you can have drinks and exclusive cigars. Every Thursday to Sunday evening there is a DJ playing music.

A bit strange to write about, but if you have lunch or dinner in the Belgaqueen it’s worth to pay a visit to the toilets. There’s something special about them. When the toilet doors aren’t locked the glass is see-through, but the moment you switch the lock, the door gets blurred and no one is able to see you. It’s a kind of magic!

If you like classical music or you just want to try something new, you can go to the opera on the Kouter-square. Put on some fancy clothes and prepare yourself for a night out ‘en grandeur’! The foyer is amazingly beautiful, shiny and sparkly. The “Lullyzaal” makes you dream about ballroom dancing in the past with it’s high ceilings and enormous chandeliers.

If you are younger than 26 they always have special offers: on the evening of a show it’s sometimes possible to buy tickets in the pre-sale office for only € 8 instead of € 70 (because of people who have cancelled last minute, or places that weren’t taken). So if you are lucky you can sit front row for a small price! Not into Classical music but more into Blues/Jazz/Folk/Flamenco-music ? Than you should definitely check out the programme of the venue called “Handelsbeurs“. It’s a few houses away from the opera-building on the Kouter.