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day · range · Aalst (Aalst city centre and Grote Markt) BE

Aalst Carnaval

Aalst's three-day pre-Lenten folk carnival that takes over the entire city centre with satirical floats and processions.

65
Marketing angleinferred

Leverage Aalst Carnaval's three-day satirical spectacle to drive tourism, hospitality bookings, and experiential brand activations in a culturally rich European setting.

Relevance 65medium intent
  • Behind-the-scenes float design & craftsmanship stories
  • Local food & drink specials tied to carnival traditions
  • Travel guides: 'Plan your Aalst Carnaval experience'
  • User-generated content from parade-goers and street celebrations
Programmetypical · 2026 TBC

Aalst Carnaval takes place annually during the three days before Ash Wednesday, and for 2026 starts on Sunday, 15 February . This cultural and folkloric event held in East Flanders is recognized as one of the most famous and vibrant carnivals in Belgium and is included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity . The festivities begin with the impressive Sunday parade featuring 70 fixed groups and more than 200 loose groups, with floats and colourful costumes reflecting the satire and mockery Aalst is known for . true

  • Sunday's parade features more than 70 Aalst groups and 226 loose groups offering humorous takes on figures and events from the past year, starting at 13:00 from Statieplein
  • Monday's Aalst Gilles perform the traditional broom dance with gold masks, broom-swinging, wooden-clog stamping and bell-ringing to drive out evil spirits and pray for good weather and harvest
  • Onion-throwing: Prince Carnival throws thousands of candy onions from the town hall balcony with a golden onion as the main prize
  • Tuesday's iconic Voil Jeanetten parade features men in outrageously oversized women's outfits with bras, corsets, broken umbrellas, chamber pots, birdcages with dried herring and prams
  • Tuesday evening concludes with the pop-burning: Prince Carnival sets the Carnival effigy alight at 21:00 on the Grote Markt, marking the official end of Carnival
  • Beyond the three-day parade, over 100 spectacular carnival attractions and nostalgic fairground stalls run from Friday 6 February to Sunday 22 February 2026 on various city squares