Started in 1995, the 10 Days Off festival has evolved into a tribal gathering for every genre of uplifting electronic music shaking dance floors across the globe - from house and funk to nu-jazz, dub step, broken beat and a variety of creative hybrids.
It's hosted at the lovely Vooruit theatre-cum-arts centre in the middle of the student district on the canal, and if the atmosphere of past editions is anything to go by, expect to be spending every night grinning madly with your arms up in the air until at least 7.00.
This year's international line up includes highly influential Detroit DJ Carl Craig on day 7 with his blend of artful upbeat techno; electroclash anthems to sing along to from France's Miss Kittin & the Hacker on day 3 and a grand finale from UK acid house godfather Andrew Weatherall on day 10.
Ghent's own disco ambassadors, The Glimmers will spin their infectious blend of happy music, as well as playing a live set as the Disco Drunkards, a Belgian dance-rock dream team that includes Tim Vanhammel and Stéphane Misseghers from dEUS on the drums.
The European Figure Theatre Centre in Ghent's historical Patershol district keeps the ancient art of puppetry alive and shows it off every year during the Gentse Feesten. You'll find as many adults as children at its annual International Puppet Buskers Festival, which boasts a dizzying array of puppetry techniques.
It's actually difficult to apply the word "puppet" to some of the acts at Puppet Buskers. One year, performers donned costumes about 10 metres high to portray a family of giants, who had simple adventures in the streets of Ghent. The next, a group of performers made seemingly living creatures out of everyday objects like clothes pins and sheets. This year, you'll find a robotic monkey driving a little car around the squares, which is, quite frankly, kind of creepy.
But then there are plenty of stick puppets, marionettes and hand-held contraptions that look a bit more puppet-like. Like street theatre, most shows are wordless (if not soundless), though you might find some dialogue in English or Dutch.
Also like the street theatre, acts are staged on squares around the city. But you can also visit the inner garden of the centre, where every day a series of shows are staged for one small admission price. You can sit all afternoon at a table and order drinks in one of the very few quiet places in Ghent during the Gentse Feesten. The Puppet Buskers literature calls it "an oasis of peace and cosiness". They are so right.
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