Day and night, Ghent is always quite alive! The city boasts a unique mixture of historical architecture and contemporary events, splendid renowned museums, theatres, opera and film. The city also offers a wealth of exhibitions and other cultural events such as the Gentse Feesten, I love Techno, 10 days off, Flanders International Film Festival Ghent and the International Festival of Flanders. Every five years, a huge botanical exhibition (the Gentse Floraliën) also takes place in Ghent, attracting numerous visitors to the city.

The “Gentse Feesten” (the “Ghent Festival”) is the biggest and most popular cultural festival in Europe. Every year, about 1 million people visit the festival! During the ten days of this multicultural happening, you can enjoy music, theatre, puppet players, street artists, etc. Nearly all street shows and open-air concerts are free. More information can be found at the website.   
The 2009 edition takes place from 18-27/7/2009.

If you want to know what’s going on in Ghent, take a look at the event calendar.

You can also surf to the website from Use-It -  print guide. You can download a ‘Map of Ghent for young travellers’:  sightseeing, local bars, clubs, shops and midnight snacks, all on a city map. It is a no-nonsense map, not commercial, up-to-date, and made by locals.

Tourism & sightseeing

The Tourist Office of Ghent offers an excellent service to visitors. You shouldn't miss the beautiful and free of charge (!) colour brochure with pictures of all the sights in town. In the end, however, there is nothing like a nice stroll through the inner city or a drink on a sunny terrace!  Tourist walks can be booked for € 7, every day at 14h30 (from 1/5 – 31/10) at the Tourist Office.
Tourist attractions are: St Bavo's Cathedral, the 'Adoration of the Mystic Lamb' (Het Lam Gods) by Jan Van Eyck, the Castle of the Counts (Het Gravensteen), the Graslei and the Korenlei, St Michael's Bridge, St Peter's Abbey, Het Pand, Belfry, Vrijdagsmarkt, SMAK, the beguinages, St Bavo's Abbey, City Hall, Patershol area, Rabot, flea market at St Jacobs, and so on, and so on.

"Ghent by night" is certainly worth a visit! Many historical buildings and monuments are lit up every night from dusk till midnight. The 'Three Towers' are illuminated till dawn. 

The Tourist Office of Ghent (Dienst Toerisme)
Crypt of the Belfry, Botermarkt 17A, B-9000 Ghent
tel. + 32 (0) 9 266 56 60
visit@gent.be
Take a look at the website!

Use-It (The Tourist Office for young people)
www.use-it.be