Stadskriebels (the name means something like “city thrills”) is an annual event, now in its 16th edition, organised by the Flemish Community Commission (VGC) together with the regional sports agency Bloso. Every year the streets around the Dansaert quarter (Dansaertstraat itself, Oude and Nieuwegraanmarkt and the Moutstraat) are closed off from 11.00 and the streets taken over by sports clubs and associations – some 40 of them this year.
The idea is to bring sport to the city, and in particular to the young people living in the city centre, where they have little or no opportunity to practice any kind of sport on their own. “There’s something for everyone,” says Nele Arys, Stadskriebels coordinator for the VGC. “The sports clubs are there for young and old, and then there’s also music.” The biggest group among participants, she points out, is children aged six to 12. About 3,000 people sign up for the day.
The organisations offering a taste of their sporting speciality all (with one exception) operate in Brussels, with activities ranging from trampoline, kayaking, baseball and breakdancing to beer crate-climbing, chess, bodyball and diving in a special portable tank. This year, Arys says, there’s a special emphasis on Eastern sports and martial arts which include aikido, wushu, tae kwon do, aiki iai and goshun. Anyone trying out three of those will win an extra gadget.
All participants have to be signed up, either in advance (for €2.50) or on the day (for €3.50). The kids get a card to be stamped at every stand, which allows them to enter a prize draw later. They also get a gadget of some kind – a pen, key ring or such – with the name and logo of the VGC. Then it’s simply a matter of choosing your sport and fighting your way to the front to get a chance to take part. The most popular stands, in my experience, are the bungee-trampoline, the climbing wall and the rope-walking in the treetops. The more dangerous it is, it seems, the more the kids want to do it. But there are also healthy crowds for old-time games, for the skike (a bicycle operated by a sort of skiing motion) and for the toddlers’ play-garden. This year for the first time, there’s a diving tank onsite, for which you need your swimming gear. You’d probably be advised to start queueing for that one at 11.00.
Last year saw a competition between the different municipalities of Brussels in a three-hour walk, but this year that’s been cut to two hours, and the competition replaced by a charity element. Each team makes as many circuits of the 400m course as it can in the two hours and, when the whistle blows, the winner is announced. Each team also puts its chosen charity into a hat, and a child will be selected to draw the lucky recipient. Sign up for a team at your local town hall, details on the Stadskriebels website.
Stadskriebels is on Sunday 17 May from 11.00 to 17.00, in the Antoine Dansaertstraat area.
If you can’t make it to Stadskriebels, here’s a selection of activities for kids taking place in other parts of Flanders over the next couple of weekends: Antwerp Building camp on the Antwerp quays for children aged 6-12, part of Kaailand. ABC Bouwcamp, Cockerillkaai, near the MuhKA. Every Saturday and Sunday to 24 May from 14.00 to 18.00. www.kaailand.be Fairy stories for little one from one to three Sprookjes en zo – de Tuin Cultural centre Rataplan, Wijnegemstraat 27, Borgerhout (Antwerp), 17 May at 13.30. A spooky walk through the shadowy backstreets of Antwerp for over-tens. Spookwandeling, Steenplein by the statue of the Lange Wapper, Antwerp. Friday and Saturday to 27 June at 21.30 or 22.00. Fairy stories for young and old in the fairy house Sprookjeshuis, Rivierenhof, Deurne. Every Sunday from 14.00 to 15.30. www.provant.be/sprookjeshuis Games and rides, bookstall and café Open Day, Steiner school Novalis Poiel 37, Geel. 17 May from 11.00 to 18.00. Free. West Flanders International Kite Festival Groot Strand Oostende Zeedijk, Ostend 9 and 10 May, 10.00 to 18.00, night-kites on 9 May from 22.00. Free. www.didak.com Brussels Guided visit to the Evere Museum of Milling and Food, Windmolenstraat 21, Evere. Daily except Monday from 13.00 to 19.00 (Wed to 17.30). East Flanders Open day at an old abbey brewery, with poetry, stories, theatre and music Humanist Centre Geuzenhuis, Kantienberg 9, Ghent. 9 May from 10.00 to 17.00. Free. Take part in the creation of an outdoor artistic masterpiece. Details top secret! Kunst(h)art Wolterslaan 16, Sint-Amandsberg (Ghent). 23 May from 14.00 to 16.00. Free. Limburg The Ketnet Band have played with the very best: Pete Pirate, Mega Mindy, Bumba! Cultural Centre Achterolmen, Van Eycklaan 72, Maaseik. 9 May at 20.15. Flemish Brabant Interactive information on all aspects of space travel for children over six. Flanders Space Days, Brabanthal, Brabantlaan 1, Heverlee (Leuven). 9 and 10 May, 10.00 to 18.00. Free. www.vlaamseruimtevaartdagen.be Experience the timeless attractions of a genuine Flemish village fair Zellik Dorpfeest, Gemeenteplein, Zellik 15 to 17 May. Friday from 18.00, Saturday and Sunday from 12.00. Sign up in advance for soapbox car race, cage football and kids’ run. www.zellikaktief.be Kids first
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