As is with any other holiday, a city trip to Hasselt may be enriched with a local festival! (Or reversely, you might want to avoid them as they tend to draw a crowd…) To help you pick the right time to visit, we highlighted the five biggest events to plan your stay around!
On this page…
Hanami – Cherry Blossom Festival
Hanami literally translates to ‘flower viewing’. It is traditional to picnic under the blooming sakura (cherry blossoms), a flower with great cultural value in Japan.
The sakura bloom when they are ready, but the Japanese Garden has a standing appointment with nature from half March up until half April.
On weekends, various food and drink stalls are regularly present, allowing you to enjoy a cosy picnic in the garden.
The Japanese Garden has an extensive calendar filled with festivals. Highlights are the aforementioned Hanami, the Bonsai Festival, Tanabata, Obon Matsuri, the Manga and Cosplay weekend and the Chrysanthemum Festival.
Carnival vs. Carnival
Carnival has a double meaning in the English language. It is either the Shrovetide celebration or a travelling funfair. Let’s take a closer look at both.
The local Shrovetide celebration, leans towards the Rhineland tradition. Although a local particularity is that it is typically celebrated in Hasselt only halfway through rather than right before the start of Lent. It is a weekend filled with costumed parties, a Children’s parade on Saturday and an International Parade on Sunday.
The local funfair, the September Fair, is held the weekend after St. Lambert’s. In the wider region, funfairs are typically held around celebrations such as the feast of a local saint. However, the fair is not held at St. Quintin‘s (31 October) but rather during the feast of St. Lambert (17 September), who is the patron of the Diocese of Liège. The fair is one of the biggest funfairs in Belgium. In recent editions it even was the #1 in number of attractions.
Once in every seven (!) years: Virga-Jessefeesten
The Virga Jessefeesten are septennial festivities, celebrating the local Mary statue to which a number of miracles are attributed. For the occasion, the whole city gets decorated. Central to the celebrations is the Ommegang, which takes place 3-4 times per edition.
The previous edition was held in 2024, which means the next festivities will be held in 2031. For those who cannot wait, we recommend visits to the Virga-Jesse basilica and the Stadsmus.
The septennial Virga Jesse ommegang sometimes gets confused with the annual, but smaller Virga Jesse procession. At both occasions the statue gets carried through the streets of the city centre, but only during the ommegang, it is accompanied by a parade depicting the life of Mary.
The procession and the ommegang, however, do have a common history… The procession takes place since atleast 1642 . But when the city got occupied by the Dutch in 1675, there was no procession for six years. The occupation thus lay the foundation for a tradition of bigger septennial editions.
Pukkelpop
Every summer, the hamlet of Kiewit gets overrun by many thousands of festival goers. It is one of the biggest festivals in Belgium. The program consists mainly of progressive and varied music genres.
The weekend(s) before the main festival is held in the Kiewit area, there are many activities in the city centre to draw the locals attention. This PKP DWNTWN (‘Pukkelpop Downtown’) started initially as a corona proof mini-alternative to the main festival. The city of Hasselt and Pukkelpop decided to continue the initiative after the pandemic.
Jeneverfeesten
Every year, during the third* weekend of October, the city of Hasselt celebrates its jenever heritage. Started in 1990 as a one day celebration with an exhibition in the Jenevermuseum and a city walk, the festival has grown to a big two-day open-air party.
The inner city gets filled with many stands run by local commerce and associations, there is a Waiting Staff Race, a flea market, and the free jenever pouring from the Borrelmenneke and the Borrelvreuke fountain statues. Also included are lots of live music, street theatre and other peripheral activities.
* Usually in the third weekend of October (unless in federal election years when it moves one weekend)
Other festivals
Since 1242 the people of Kuringen celebrate the St. Gertrude Feasts. This happens on the first Saturday after 17 March, name day of Saint Gertrude. The saint and abbess is said to have lived in the region during her youth. She is venerated in the local church as patron saint. The celebrations are held at the Prinsenhof, former residence of the Count of Loon.
Live in Hasselt is a free music festival in May. There are concerts on central stages, as well as in local pubs and cafés.
In 2026 Hasselt ended 9th (before cities like New York) in the Street Art Cities Awards. During the yearly Street Art Festival, the city focusses on the art form. For those who can’t make it to the festival in September, there are many walking routes and guided tours available.
Got a runner’s itch? Dwars door Hasselt is the local city run, with several distances (1, 3, 5, 10, 15 km and half-marathon)
Winterland is a Christmas market / funfair that runs from the second half of November to the beginning of January. The outer parts of the Dusartplein get filled with many stands and attractions, covered in colourful lights.
