I hadn’t considered this before, but indeed. Try setting hundreds of thousands free in the centre of Manchester and leaving them a week in the heat and the beer. The most dangerous episode ever to happen at the Gentse Feesten was the explosion a few years ago of the “spit burger”, a beloved stand of the Feesten’s most excellent fare. Flames and smoke shot into the air, and people ran screaming. (Find it on YouTube under “Gent is burning”.)

A few hours later, a shiny new spit burger stand took its place, and the incident became anecdotal. “Why I remember when the spit burger exploded back in ’08…”

But, as a resident of the city, what amazes me most about the Gentse Feesten is the people I see there – people I never see in the city centre. The folk. The Gentenaar who lives on the outskirts of town, rarely ventures into its centre, doesn’t normally go to a music festival and certainly not to the theatre. But during the Gentse Feesten, they not only show up to eat and drink and listen to cover bands, they go to the theatre.

Because it’s their kind of theatre: Gentse Feesten is many things, and one of them is a theatre festival. And much of that theatre is in Ghent dialect. Getting a ticket to one of the more popular indoor performances during the Gentse Feesten is like trying to score one for Prince.

The Gentse Feesten in fact began in the 19th century as a celebration thrown by the city for its labourers. It seemed that every district of the city held a traditional Sunday feast, with too much eating, drinking and general bawdiness – to the point that absenteeism at factories on Mondays was at an alarming level. The city outlawed the Sunday parties, but decided to pacify citizens by throwing one big, free party a year.

Still on the Gentse Feesten website are the words: “Cultural Folk Feast”. So once a year, in a city more known for its intellectuals, artsy atmosphere and university students, the folk are out in force. Which isn’t too say that the Gentse Feesten is homogenous. Quite the opposite. There’s enough to choose from: about 12 outdoor stages across the city centre with live music, the country’s biggest street theatre festival, a puppet buskers festival, the techno festival 10 Days Off, a comedy festival and a theatre festival at dozens of venues across town. Everything outdoors is free; indoor performances often require a ticket, and it’s best to get them in advance on the website or from the venue itself.

Like any festival, there are highlights, such as Gabriel Rios and Nouvelle Vague on 16 July or Steak Number Eight and Intergalactic Lovers on 23 July. But just wandering around the Gentse Feesten, discovering its habits and its quirks – its out-ofthe- way beach, its favourite spots for impromptu street theatre, its stages where you, too, can dance, its little offshoot festivals, its spit burger.

Now in its 168th year, the Gentse Feesten has become the biggest festival of its kind in Europe. And all because the Gentenaars liked to party more than they liked to work.

16-25 July

Across Ghent

www.gentsefeesten.be