Flanders Festival Ghent 2020 is a few weeks behind us now, but it continues to resonate. What began as a cautious gamble ended up exceeding everyone’s expectations: we look back at a warm and captivating edition. Admittedly, the run-up to the festival was plagued by uncertainty: time and time again, doubt and measures requiring things to be scaled back brought us back to square one. But we triumphed in the end.

Above all, we are incredibly grateful.
Grateful, because we had the chance to do what we’re so passionate about: to make and share music. For two weeks, we were able to act as a beacon in the – once again crushingly curtailed – cultural landscape. We dived into sacred polyphony with Pärt. We savoured musical dewdrops with Morning Dew, and were engulfed in breathtakingly beautiful choreographies in Spiro. We were immersed in a magnificent Beethoven marathon, enjoyed a visit from the king and queen, discovered musicality in Van Eyck’s triptych, and were fortunate enough to experience so many more emotional moments.

We are also thankful that we were able to count on so much confidence from you, our audience. We succeeded in creating a safe festival environment in which everyone felt good and at home.

Our 2020 edition was understated but engaging, intimate but immersive, and we must cherish this warm memory. Unfortunately culture is once again being shut down for a time, so how else should we bridge these dark days than with a series of visual souvenirs?

Relive the highlights of the festival with our Facebook photo albums and our after-movie. 

Stay safe and hang on in there!