Genk (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – In 8 days, De Warmste Week begins in Genk. Bruno Foodcorner, Via Roma, Grand Café Relaxy, and Coffee and Wine Bar Times prepare for half a million visitors. CEO Rachida Naya expects near full hotel occupancy.
As VRT News reported, in 8 days, De Warmste Week, Flanders’ largest charity event, will start in Genk. At Bruno Foodcorner in the train station, staff are preparing for a busy week. The snack bar is closest to Cosmogolemplein, where the main event takes place. The team expects large crowds.
“We’re expecting a huge crowd and are looking forward to it,”
says store manager Eliana Joosten.
“We’ve stocked up on a huge amount of food, especially snacks like sausage rolls and pizzas. We’ve now stocked up on a week’s supply of what we normally stock for three months. We’ll also be open longer, until midnight instead of 10 p.m..”
How is Genk preparing hotels, restaurants, and bars for De Warmste week?The city’s hotels are also seeing high demand. Hotels along Europalaan report that bookings have risen sharply. Different Hotels, which runs the Carbon Hotel, ECU, and M Hotel in the city centre, expects almost full occupancy during the event. CEO Rachida Naya says this shows the popularity of De Warmste Week.
“Rooms are becoming scarce,”
Nay nods.
“On the one hand, many rooms are occupied by VRT staff, and on the other hand, we’ve also received a lot of individual bookings from visitors to De Warmste Week who want to spend a night in Genk.
Things went really fast, especially once the lineup was announced. We’re very happy about that, because the week before Christmas is traditionally a very quiet period for hotels.”
In Genk’s city centre, restaurants and bars are preparing for De Warmste Week. The Italian restaurant Via Roma will donate €2 to €4 from each of its most popular dishes sold during the event to the charity. Owner Ibrahima says this is his way of supporting the cause.
“And we’re also preparing for a large influx of people,”
says Ibrahima.
“For example, I’m planning on hiring two or three extra staff members, because I hear the event has attracted half a million visitors in previous years. That’s huge. But we have a strong team and are ready.”
Other venues are also ready for busy days during the festival.
“But we’re really looking forward to it “,
he says.
“We’re expecting a lot of people, especially in the evenings. It’s something different, with different guests too. We’re preparing for that by hiring extra staff, which we also do during other major events like Genk On Stage. In that respect, we know more or less what to expect.”
At Grand Café Relaxy, staff, including waiter Marc, are preparing for more customers and longer hours. Coffee and Wine Bar Times is taking steps to manage the larger crowds.
“We’ve provided a special suggestion card and extra staff for De Warmste Week,”
says a venue manager.
“We’re looking forward to attracting a different crowd, although we’re also a bit apprehensive. Large groups often arrive at the same time, for example, when a bus or train arrives. That can cause some stress.”
De Warmste Week began in 2006 under the name Music for Life, when radio hosts stayed in a glass house to raise money for causes like land mines, malaria, and clean water. In 2013, the event was renamed De Warmste Week and has since grown into Flanders’ largest charity week, taking place in the week before Christmas.
Over the years, thousands of fundraising activities have raised millions of euros for charities across the region. In 2018, the event collected more than €17 million for nearly 2,000 organisations. The most recent edition in 2024 raised €8,907,834 through over 5,600 actions, supporting 276 projects focused on social issues such as loneliness.
