Festival's News
- Imagine Paradise at the KlaraFestival: Man between utopia and reality
- New Artistic Coordinator at Ghent Festival of Flanders
Keep in Touch
Contact info
Address
Coordination
Kleine Gentstraat 46
9000 Ghent
Belgium
http://www.festival.be
Info
Tel: +32 (0)9 243 94 94
Fax: +32 (0)9 243 94 90
info@festival.be
http://www.festival.be/
Administration
Tel: +32 (0)9 243 94 94
Fax: +32 (0)9 243 94 90
info@festival.be
http://www.festival.be
Tickets
http://www.festival.be
For tickets of all involved festivals in the Flanders Festival, see www.festival.be
Flanders Festival International
During its four decades, Flanders Festival has become a major forum for living culture. Flanders' cathedrals and belfries not only provide an exceptional stage for musical events but also attractive sites for tourists, which is further enhanced by the world-famous Flemish hospitality. Every year, from July to the end of October, cultural-minded tourists flock to the castles, historic churches and stylish venues of Flanders' eight festival cities. Attending cultural events (more than 300 concerts, theatre and dance performances) at the highest level while, at the same time, being able to relax in an attractive surrounding: these are no doubt the main advantages of Flanders Festival.
This festival has been an EFA member since 1964.
Multimedia
Festival Programme
Each EFA member manages its own Calendar. In case there is no programme availabable for this year, please visit the festival's own website.
History
From March until October, Flanders Festival International organizes more than 300 concerts, dance and theatre productions annually in historic venues, cathedrals, castles, town halls, abbeys, and opulent baroque and modern theatres; at many Festival events, the public is surrounded by the masterpieces by Memlinc, Van Eyck, Brueghel and Rubens.
The Festival was founded in 1958 to coincide with the World's Fair in Brussels. Its three principal elements are a surprisingly large number of historic locations, the Flemish polyphonists who exercised such an influence on European music during the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, and a multitude of modern ensembles renowned throughout Europe for their performance of early music on original instruments.
Flanders Festival is organized in Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Kortrijk, Limburg, Mechelen and Vlaams-Brabant as well as 40 other towns including Brussels, the hub of Europe. Zeeland Flanders in the Netherlands also joined the Festival. Several program themes - most change annually - provide the audience with attractive structures for the hundreds of events; a constantly recurring theme is of course the influence of the Flemish polyphonists, usually linked to the anniversaries of great composers. Flanders has a number of renowned contemporary dance companies and is something of a trailblazer in the field, with more than 40 contemporary dance performances each year.
In the early 1990s, Brussels, the capital of the European Union, put the festival on a new course: now, together with numerous partners, the festival organizes Castle and Cathedral Concerts as well as European Galas, and Brussels: Meeting Point for the World-class Orchestras. The fact that this nerve centre of European diplomacy is now also sending out the most renowned Flemish music and dance companies to tour the world as cultural ambassadors comes as no great surprise.
