Aalst Carnival
Belgium, Aalst
Your Essential Guide to the Aalst Carnival 2025
The Aalst Carnival is a three-day celebration held in Belgium. This unique carnival is over 600 years old and has been recognized by UNESCO.
Information
When is the Aalst Carnival 2025?
Aalst is a city and municipality in Belgium, located in the Flemish province of East Flanders. It is situated on the Dender River, about 31 kilometers northwest of Brussels.
Where is the Aalst Carnival Celebrated?
Aalst is a city and municipality in Belgium, located in the Flemish province of East Flanders. It is situated on the Dender River, about 31 kilometers northwest of Brussels.
Table of Contents
Aalst in Wonderland
The Aalst Carnival (Carnaval Oilsjt) is a pre-Lenten carnival celebrated in the quiet town of Aalst (Oilsjt) in Belgium. This charming town is nestled between Brussels and Ghent. However, this tranquil paradise transforms into something entirely different from the Sunday before Ash Wednesday until Tuesday of the same week.
While the Aalst Carnival may not be internationally renowned, it is quite famous within Belgium for its eccentricity and satirical atmosphere, which will make you feel like you’ve stepped into Wonderland.
Although well-known throughout Belgium, it’s estimated that 70% of the carnival participants are from Aalst itself. The locals take this carnival very seriously. The parades are the result of work passed down from generation to generation, and everyone is proud to participate in the preparation of this celebration.
It’s worth noting and admiring that the Aalst city council helps carnival groups by providing free spaces to make their costumes and design their floats.
The History of the Aalst Carnival
The history of the Aalst Carnival spans about 600 years, dating back to the medieval era when pagans celebrated carnival to drive away the evil spirits of winter and welcome the spring.
The Aalst Carnival is steeped in pagan traditions and folklore. These traditions were once present in cities like Brussels and Antwerp but have disappeared over time, with Aalst being the only city that has preserved them. Many of these traditions have remained unchanged over the centuries, retaining their ancient magic. This did not go unnoticed by UNESCO, which designated the Aalst Carnival as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
In 2020, the Aalst Carnival celebrated 97 years of history as it is known today. Although some say it began in 1856, the city of Aalst officially started organizing it in 1923, which is the date many others recognize as the official start.
How is the Aalst Carnival Celebrated?
- Sunday: The parade begins at 1:00 p.m. from Statieplein, passing through the city center towards Grote Markt. After the parade, a big night party ensues.
- Monday: Carnival groups repeat the previous day’s events, with another parade scheduled. Monday’s parade follows the Aalsterse Gillies as they perform their traditional broom dance until they throw it in Grote Markt. After this, the onion throw takes place. Of course, the party lasts all night.
- Tuesday: This is the day of the Voil Jeanetten, when thousands of people parade through the city center of Aalst, with men dressed in women’s clothing. The carnival concludes with the burning of pops, but partygoers continue to celebrate one last night.
The Prince of the Aalst Carnival
The Aalst Carnival begins on Sunday at the Cultural Center with the coronation of the Prince of the Carnival and the handing over of the keys by the city’s mayor to the Prince. Then, the Prince parades through the city in a shower of applause atop Bayard, the horse that once belonged to Charlemagne. This event is highly celebrated in Aalst, so be sure to mark it as a must-see.
Those who run for Prince of the Carnival compete all year to be crowned with this title, but only one can be named. It’s worth noting that if a Prince is elected three years in a row, they are awarded the title of Emperor of the Carnival, the highest honor one can achieve.
Onions Everywhere!
Surprisingly, the mascot of the Aalst Carnival is an onion! Wherever you look, you’ll see onions everywhere.
Costumes with onions, floats with onions, decorations with onions—if you don’t see onions at the Aalst Carnival, you’re definitely in the wrong place.
Why so many onions? It’s a satirical way the locals poke fun at themselves when they say “oh yes,” which, in Flemish dialect, sounds phonetically identical to the word “onion.” Plus, the city of Aalst is surrounded by many onion fields, making it a local symbol. The people take this with great humor, so don’t worry—they won’t be offended if you look at them strangely.
Don’t miss the onion toss from the town hall balcony by the Prince of the Aalst Carnival and members of the carnival committee. They throw about a thousand onions to the people waiting below; one hundred of these onions contain various prizes, but only one holds the grand prize—an 18-carat gold onion encrusted with jewels. It’s definitely a big draw for the people of Aalst.
The Grand Carnival Parade
The Aalst Carnival Parade is a spectacular event and undoubtedly the highlight of the carnival. It culminates a year of hard work and attracts around 150,000 spectators. The parade features over 200 floats and about 300 official and unofficial carnival groups representing various themes, along with plenty of giant puppet heads.
Anything goes at the Aalst Carnival, as long as it’s legal, of course. Each carnival group selects a theme and designs their own costumes, floats, dances, and music around it. The parade is known for its colorful, satirical, and often surprising performances.
The Aalst Carnival Parade winds through the streets of Aalst starting at 1:00 p.m. and lasting until 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. The same parade takes place both Sunday and Monday of the carnival, but each day has a completely different atmosphere, as no judgments are made during Monday’s parade, giving it a more relaxed vibe.
Carnival Sunday is a fierce competition where groups compete against each other for the title of best. The carnival groups are divided into small, medium, and large categories for judging, and each group is scored during the parade. Prizes are awarded on Sunday night after the parade.
Costumes and Floats
Surrealism is the word that best describes the Aalst Carnival Parade. The costumes are surreal, magical, and have a distinctive look. The Aalst Carnival costumes are very different from those worn in the carnivals of Rio or most Caribbean carnivals, and they are also quite distinct from the elegant costumes worn in Venice.
The floats are mind-blowing—very funny but also quite satirical and controversial, as no theme or person is usually off-limits. There are over 200 elaborately decorated floats, some using truly impressive mechanical movements. Many of these floats throw candy or confetti to the delight of the crowd, and each float seems bigger and better than the last.
Each float is accompanied by a group of people who coordinate, wearing matching costumes, singing, and dancing in front of or behind the music played on each float.
Political Satire at the Aalst Carnival
Political satire is also a significant part of the Aalst Carnival and is well known for how it mocks local and international events. Everything is up for critique, and absolutely nothing is off-limits—not religion, race, politicians, or even celebrities.
Local Aalst politics dominate the carnival themes, but many global events are represented each year. In recent years, Donald Trump has been a popular figure in the carnival, along with the former president of Catalonia who fled to Belgium, North Korea, the Russian doping scandal, and even the #MeToo movement. Nothing is sacred!
Chasing Away Evil Spirits with Brooms and Dances
Something unique to Belgian carnivals is the Aalst Gillies’ Dance. The Gillies of Aalst are mythical carnival creatures who dance with brooms in Aalst’s central market, using these brooms to chase away the ghosts of winter, believed to be evil spirits.
The Gillies’ Dance is a pagan tradition that dates back six centuries, if not more. In addition to banishing evil spirits, the Gillies also ask for a good harvest.
The Gillies throw small brooms to people as a symbol of good luck. They also distribute oranges, which symbolize an offering to the gods in exchange for a good harvest.
The Dirty Sissies Parade
On Carnival Tuesday, the Dirty Sissies Parade takes place, which is essentially a men’s costume parade. It’s a hilarious march where men dress in women’s clothing, often with exaggerated outfits including fake breasts, baby strollers, umbrellas, corsets, fur coats, and more.
This tradition comes from when the lower class was too poor to make or buy carnival costumes and had to wear their wives’ clothing. The men also throw flour at the crowd during the parade.
Aalst by Night – When the Real Party Begins
The Belgians know how to have non-stop fun. While you may be exhausted from standing all day watching the parade, we recommend grabbing a strong coffee because after dark is when the real fun and revelry begin.
At the end of each night, the music and lights turn up, and the party starts. Carnival-goers give it their all, singing, dancing
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