Ghent (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Starting in 2026, Ghent’s Winter Festivities will run until the end of the Christmas holidays. The ice rink returns, concession fee rises to €150,000, with applications open until February 2026.
As VRT News reported, starting in 2026, the Winter Festivities in Ghent will run until the end of the Christmas holidays. The new plan also increases costs for the organiser. Starting in 2026, the concession fee will rise to €150,000 per year. Before the pandemic, the fee was €50,000, and since 2020, it had been reduced to €12,600 because the festival was shorter and some editions were cancelled.
“We’re making a very conscious decision to extend the Winter Festivities again. Until now, the city centre has been a construction site during the second week of the Christmas holidays, as the organisers were cleaning everything up. This was considered disruptive. Thanks to the extension, children will be able to enjoy the ice rink throughout the entire holiday period starting next year,”
says Alderman Joris Vandenbroucke (For Ghent).
What changes are coming to Ghent’s winter festivities in 2026?
This winter, the Winter Festivities in Ghent will run from December 4th to 31st, 2025. Officials mentioned that visitors can once again enjoy the ice skating rink, which had been replaced by a roller skating rink in previous years to save energy costs. The ice rink will return this year, but its future will depend on the new concessionaire who will manage the festival starting in 2026.
Officials mentioned that the Winter Festivities will largely stay the same this year. The city will continue to feature stalls with a local connection to support regional producers and artisans. The reusable cup system will also be used again. The concession for the next 4 years is now open, with applications accepted until February 2026. The current concession holder will not participate in the new application process.
Last year, the event drew 2.5 million visitors, a record number that the city council says is the main reason for the extension. This is a change from past decisions. The previous council, which had the same political parties, limited the festivities to December 31st. At that time, they said a longer event would put too much pressure on the daily lives of residents in the city centre.
Since the early 2000s, Ghent has held Winter Festivities in December each year, which have become one of the city’s main events each season. The festival usually lasts until December 31 and features an ice skating rink, festive market stalls, and decorations throughout the city centre. In 2020 and 2021, the events were cancelled or reduced in duration due to COVID-19, but after beginning again in 2022 and 2023, the festival experienced high levels of attendance and popularity.
