Poperinge (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – 6 of Poperinge’s 8 carnival associations lack warehouses for floats. Griet Defever of the Order of the Flodders warns that delays or sales may occur. Carnival parade set for March 15, 2026.
As VRT News reported, preparations for Poperinge’s annual carnival, in the province of West Flanders, Belgium, started in early November 2025. Almost a month later, 6 of the town’s 8 carnival associations still have no warehouse to store their materials or build their floats. The lack of space is causing serious problems for organisers. The association will have to vacate its current warehouse by the end of the year.
“We’re busy looking, but we can’t find anything affordable,”
says Griet Defever of the Order of the Flodders of Poperinge.
“If we don’t find anything, we’ll have to sell our carnival floats and props. We made all that stuff ourselves; hours and hours went into it. So it would be incredibly painful if we lost that.”
“The lack of a new location is forcing us to make some difficult choices,”
Griet continues.
“We’re having a sale right now. The float from the previous parade is already gone.”
What is causing 6 Poperinge carnival clubs to struggle for warehouse space?
The carnival associations in Poperinge are asking for urgent help to solve their storage and workspace problems. They say the town should provide either one large shed that several associations can share or several smaller sheds for each group. Proper space is essential for building and storing carnival floats.
Poperinge will celebrate its annual carnival on March 15th, 2026. The clubs say they plan to take part in the traditional parade, which is a key event in the town’s cultural calendar. However, they warn that participation may be limited if warehouse space is not provided. In that case, they may join the parade without a float, using other ways to represent their groups.
“A carnival parade without the floats of Poperinge clubs would, of course, be rather sad,”
Defever adds.
The first celebrations were held around 1905. Over the years, the festival grew into one of the town’s biggest cultural events, with floats, costumes, and parades attracting residents and visitors. The carnival was interrupted during the First and Second World Wars, but restarted in the late 1940s and has continued to grow since.
