Pretty as a picture: living statues bring Lommel to life
The annual living statues festival in Lommel is a chance for the Limburg city to show that it’s got more going for it than sand quarrying
Larger than life
This weekend, the city of Lommel becomes the backdrop for dozens of living statues during Beeldig Lommel, a unique street theatre festival. The name is a play on the Dutch word beeldig, which means gorgeous or “pretty as a picture”. But beeld also means statue.
“Living statues are the main artistic profile of the festival, whereas they are usually programmed as sideshows at other festivals or events,” explains Cindy Daems, one of the festival’s co-ordinators.
For the eighth edition this summer, the city welcomes more than 150 local and international artists, presenting more than 60 acts. “We choose the programme based on the wide variety of skills and styles a statue can have: not only the classic artist in one colour who doesn’t move, but also very colourful and interactive groups or duos, with or without music,” says Daems.
The statues represent a range of characters, from familiar personalities such as Sherlock Holmes and Mary Poppins to actual statues such as the terracotta warriors from Xian.
There are also child statues who will perform in Burgermeester park. Daems explains that the city started giving living statue workshops to local children nine years ago. “Since then, the children, who are still performing now, have developed more and more skills,” she says. “They started as amateurs, but now they are real professionals.”
Accessible to all
Visitors follow a designated route through the city, which facilitates foot traffic and ensures that no one misses an attraction. The living statues along the route are joined by other street artists like stilt walkers and musicians. For the first time this year, a food truck festival will take place at three locations along the route.
Living statues are the main profile of the festival, whereas they are usually programmed as sideshows
The organisers make a point of ensuring that Beeldig Lommel is fully accessible to visitors with reduced mobility. The route is wheelchair-accessible, and there are special guided tours for people with physical, visual or auditory impairments.
For the city of Lommel, in northern Limburg on the Dutch border, the festival is the main event of the year and marks the start of the summer tourist season. The area is known for its history of sand quarrying and its nature reserves, such as the Lommel Sahara, created from former mining terrain. With Beeldig Lommel, the city gets to show a different side to visitors, as it welcomes upwards of 60,000 people over the weekend. There’s an evening festival on Saturday and an afternoon edition on Sunday.
Photo: Monique Bogaerts
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