Tielt-Winge (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Starting next year, the Gouden Kruispunt in Tielt-Winge will eliminate Monday flea market operations. The site manager collaborates with traders to make this choice since they wish to operate their stores on Mondays.
Gouden Kruispunt flea market in Tielt-Winge in the province of Flemish Brabant will end its operations after achieving twenty years of service in 2025. A joint decision by site administrators and retailers led to their plan of opening all shops on Mondays, which would eliminate market space. Despite the unexpected nature of this decision, the organisers showed resolve while searching for a new market site.
The public market operates every Monday from April to October at Gouden Kruispunt since its inception in 2004 without missing a single week. The market has managed to reach up to 200 vendor participants. Site manager Elke Franckx revealed that the transition enables future development projects and will provide space for retailers who want to start a business on Mondays.
“This decision was taken carefully and after thorough consultation, in close consultation between all the owners of the site,”
says Elke Franckx, manager of the site.
“There is a need for more flexibility for future investments, beautification works and rentals that will further enhance the Gouden Kruispunt. More and more retailers also want to open their shops on Mondays.”
And so the 2025 edition of the flea market will be the last. The organizer of the flea market Gemma Dekoninck thinks that is a great shame:
“It feels like a cold shower for us, because we were not informed. I also get a lot of calls from people who think it is a great shame. Of course I understand that the shops also want to be open on Mondays, but it still feels like a shock.”
The flea market will say goodbye to the Gouden Kruispunt, but for organizer Gemma that is not a final goodbye.
“It was a good flea market, a great success and an ideal location. And the cooperation with the traders was also good. We will continue as we were doing, but then at a different location. We have already received a few proposals for a new location, but I cannot yet say where that is. We have to negotiate first.”
In the meantime, the Gouden Kruispunt continues to develop “to offer a pleasant and modern shopping experience to our customers and visitors. We thank the organisation, the stallholders, the visitors and everyone who has supported the flea market in recent years and hope to welcome new initiatives in the future that contribute to the dynamics of our site”, the site manager added.
How long has the Gouden Kruispunt flea market operated?
The Gouden Kruispunt flea market in Tielt-Winge operated its weekly market for 20 years, each April through October, with a peak of 200 vendors monthly and a steady attendance of thousands of people annually. Since 2004, the site has been operating because it has unused parking areas, and most stores remain closed on Mondays. This important regional event evolved through time to become a major attraction that offered customers both antique items and homemade local products while sustaining a group of small businesses.
The market‘s rising popularity played a vital role in developing Gouden Kruispunt into one of Belgium’s major shopping destinations in the Flemish Brabant province. The management of the site in partnership with retailers made the collective decision to terminate the market operations following the 2025 season because of changing retail trends that demanded retailer availability on Mondays.
