Aalst Carnival - A view from our expert author

This is partying like you’ve never seen it before.

This tourist-free folkloric feast dates back to the Middle Ages when local rulers allowed the townsfolk to enjoy three days of no-rules debauched behaviour prior to Ash Wednesday – the start of Lent. I’ll warn you now: it’s a three-day bender of non-stop beer swigging and drunken dancing, with only brief pauses to catch a few winks on the bar top or in the gutter.

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