Look at us go! Festive Flemish kick-off of the EU presidency in Mechelen
On Saturday 6 January, thousands of Flemish citizens descended upon Mechelen for a free festive city festival that presented a sampling of what Flanders has to offer Europe. It shone spotlight on Flanders’ contribution to the presidency of the Council of the EU, because Belgium has assumed the presidency role for six months as from 1 January 2024. This period represents a unique opportunity for Flanders to help set the European agenda, to stimulate the EU debate and to make the most of its assets.
Something for everyone
Under the motto ‘Look at us go!’, composer and conductor Dirk Brossé and Bart Vanvoorden, artistic director of arts centre nona, put together an inspiring spectacle brimming with home-grown talent that both young and old could enjoy to the fullest. With an exquisite mix of dance, poetry, comedy, cabaret, circus, entertainment, lectures, film, art, musical performances and culinary experiences, spread across the various venues of Mechelen city centre, they aimed for high Flemish quality with a European dimension.
Radio 2 for the early birds
The hugely popular Radio 2 Weekwatchers were on hand between 8am and 10am at Het Predikheren Library. Early birds were able to join presenter Ruben Van Gucht at the breakfast table for an interesting overview of the major and minor current events of the past week. Guest and stand-up comedian Bart Cannaerts revealed which news event had affected him the most, and Noordkaap singer Stijn Meuris entertained lavishly in his own quirky way with some fun scientific facts.
Varied route along many of Flanders’ assets
From 2pm, you could chart your own course through Mechelen city centre. At the Stadsschouwburg, the Cultural Centre and children’s theatre De Maan, you could enjoy a dose of circus acrobatics by a new generation of creators opening up the genre, borrowing from dance, parkour, visual art and sound art, among other things. Flemish word artists such as Bart Moeyaert, Maud Vanhauwaert, Hind Eljadid and Hanna Desmet performed their own work, a work of their choosing from the Flemish poetry canon and a piece of European poetry that continues to inspire them, at five different locations around the city. Stand-up comedians Michael Van Peel, Jan Jaap Van der Wal, Dena Vahdani and Erhan Demirci performed some new material at the Grote Markt, with the European Union as central topic. In the afternoon, you could also visit some fascinating exhibitions for free at Kunsthal Mechelen, Kazerne Dossin, the Toy Museum and at LAMOT. Those who preferred to test their taste buds could visit top chef Seppe Nobels, who was providing culinary tours of the Oud Gasthuis. For film lovers, there was the avant-première of ‘Here’, Bas Devos’ latest feature film. And those who were still hungry for more could sink their teeth into a series of lectures on European research and on the context of Flanders in Europe. In short, everyone got something they enjoyed.
Whirlwind opening show broadcast live
The festive evening was ushered in by a grand opening show featuring a wide range of performers, accompanied by a classical orchestra and a large choir, conducted by Dirk Brossé. Among others, hip-hop star Coely, jack of all trades Bart Peeters, rising stars Metejoor and Laura Tesoro, perennial favourite Gunther Neefs, musical actress Laura Seys and soprano Charlotte Wajnberg provided a captivating blend of different musical styles. Moreover, the entire show could be followed live on VRT Max, allowing everyone in Flanders to enjoy it at home. The opening ceremony was briefly disrupted but luckily, everything was back on track in no time. In addition, as a finale to the opening event, a new composition was created, starting from a kind of bolero and based on an ancient Flemish melody from the Antwerp Dance Book (1583). The rhythm of the bolero gradually grows to a grand apotheosis, with all kinds of percussion instruments from various cultures joining the rousing rhythm one by one, before ending with a big nod to the European Hymn, the aural symbol of the EU.
Dancing into the future
Those who were not too tired after that could enjoy a grand after-party with Goose, Bibi Seck and Dr. Lektroluv at the covered mainstage on the Grote Markt. With a unique cocktail of electronic music, rock, house, techno and funk, these artists proved once again why the Flanders and Brussels music scene is notorious and famous all across the world. On Saturday night, Flanders kicked off the EU presidency with its dancing shoes on, laying a multitude of trumps on the table. We’ll keep swinging for the next six months! Look at us go!