Summer of Antwerp wants your memories
Visitors to Antwerp’s summer festival are asked to send in their nicest memories for possible inclusion on an interactive timeline
25th edition
The Summer of Antwerp – a months-long festival featuring theatre, parades, movies, parties and endless activities for young and old – is looking for your favourite memory of the event. That’s because this year is its 25th anniversary.
The first edition of Summer of Antwerp was in 1995. Inspired by the success of a similar initiative in 1993, as part of Antwerp’s turn as European Cultural Capital, the city decided to schedule event throughout the summer under one title.
With a carefully selected programme that included open-air cinema, outdoor concerts in every neighbourhood, the city’s first experience with the French marionette masters Royal de Luxe and one big circus, it was instantly successful. Some 47,600 people came.
Last year, Summer of Antwerp drew 250,000 to one of its activities. While it still hosts the events of 25 years ago, it continued to expand, with the extraordinarily popular mini-festival Zomerfabriek and the riverside Summer Bar.
Memory timeline
“We have so many hidden stories in our archives,” says Sanne de Rooij of Summer of Antwerp, “from photos and videos from the early years to a fantastical model for a theatre boat that was never realised. Over the coming months, we are going to make all of it accessible to the public on an interactive timelines on our website.”
But what’s missing, says de Rooij, is the visitor. “The story of Summer of Antwerp isn’t complete without their voices.” So if you’ve got a nice memory – big or small – they encourage you to send it to them, whether that be a photo, a video or a story.
The timeline will be launched at the end of May, but memories can be send it beyond that. Be warned: It could wind up on the timeline.
Summer of Antwerp launches on 21 June and runs until 2 September. Tickets for paid events go on sale on 8 June. The most coveted events will sell out in a few days
Photo: Sigrid Spinnox/Time Circus/Summer of Antwerp
