If you’re looking for a unique tourist attraction to experience Belgium’s culture, history and traditions, you must attend the Jenever Festival, which takes place in Hasselt on October 15-16. This is the largest festival dedicated to the national liquor of the Belgians – jenever, or ginevre. At the festival, you can taste more than 200 types of this aromatic liquor, admire master distillers, participate in workshops and cooking demonstrations starring jenever, and be entertained by music and street theatre. This is a unique opportunity to discover the richness of Belgium’s flavours and colours in a glass.
Jenever, what exactly is it?
Jenever is a liquor made from rye, wheat and barley grains, flavoured with juniper berries and herbs. Sound aromatic? In addition to its natural composition, it is one of the oldest European liquors, dating back to the 15th century. The alcohol is considered the protoplast of gin and has its protected designation of origin. Only Belgium, the Netherlands and parts of France and Germany can produce a drink called jenever/genever, genièvre or peket. Jenever has different varieties: young (jonge), old (oude), fruity (vruchten) and creamy (room). Each has a different composition, alcohol content and serving method.
What can you see at the Jenever Festival?
This two-day festival takes place in the center of Hasselt, the capital of Belgian jenever. At the festival, you’ll find plenty of activities for every sophisticated palate, both large and small. Here are some of them:
- Jenever tasting: at the festival, you can taste more than 200 types of jenever from different regions of Belgium and the Netherlands. You can choose between classic flavours such as juniper, anise or mint or modern compositions such as chocolate, vanilla or raspberry. You can also enjoy a unique festival jenever, which is distilled on-site by master artisans.
- Visit the Jenever Museum: if you want to learn more about the history, production and culture of jenever, you should visit the Jenever Museum, housed in a historic distillery from the 18th century. At the museum, you can see original distilling equipment and tools, a collection of old bottles and labels, and exhibits on various aspects of jenever. You can also take part in interactive workshops and demonstrations.
- Cooking with Jenever: if you like to experiment in the kitchen, take advantage of the cooking demonstrations starring Jenever at this festival. You will see how professional chefs prepare delicious dishes using jenever as an ingredient or a side dish. You can also learn to make your cocktails with jenever under the guidance of experts.
- Music and theatre: there will also be plenty of artistic entertainment at the festival. Musical groups will perform on various stages and squares, playing a variety of genres, from folk to rock. You’ll also enjoy spectacular street theatre performances full of colour, humour and acrobatics. And remember the traditional jenever orchestra, which will play unusual instruments made from bottles and glasses.
You’ll also find many other attractions at the festival, such as regional product fairs, photography and painting exhibitions, children’s games, contests and quizzes, and even a jenever fountain. You can also take the opportunity to visit the beautiful city of Hasselt, which has many historical sites and charming corners.
Why go to the Jenever Festival by bus?
If you want to visit the Jenever Festival, the best way to travel is by bus. By choosing this form of transportation:
- You enjoy comfortable seats, air conditioning, a toilet and Internet access. You don’t have to worry about traffic jams, parking or stress behind the wheel. You can rest easy or enjoy the scenery outside your window. Buses are also among the safest means of transportation, as professional drivers regularly check and operate them.
- You save a lot of money compared to other means of transportation. Coach tickets to Belgium are not expensive, and you can often find promotions and discounts. In addition, you do not have to pay for fuel, tolls or parking.
- You care about the environment because coaches emit much less carbon dioxide than cars or airplanes. By choosing a coach, you contribute to reducing air pollution and climate change.
- You have a lot of freedom to choose the date and place of departure. You can select from coach connections from different cities in Poland to various cities in Belgium. You can also easily change or cancel your reservation if your plans change. You also have the opportunity to take advantage of combination travel, which allows you to visit several countries in one tour.
How to book a bus ticket for the Jenever Festival?
If you want to book a bus ticket for the Belgian Jenever Festival, use our search engine. Just enter the city of departure, arrival, travel date, and number of passengers. Our search engine will compare offers among bus companies and show you the best price and time options. You can also use filters to tailor the results to your preferences. Once you’ve selected the proper connection, you can make a reservation online or through the app and pay by credit card, bank transfer or other available payment methods. You will receive your reservation confirmation along with your ticket to your email address. Simple? Check out the connections today!
