The Grand Reopening has begun! This is what our pre-party looked like.

At 6:00am, the music started playing in the courtyard and our impressive entrance gate opened. The first visitors entered the Stadskamer and were welcomed by enthusiastic volunteers and personalised earrings by Lodie Kardouss.

Throughout the museum, visitors were surprised by design, music and performances.
Design was also a key consideration in the décor. In the courtyard, the bar and DJ booth were built using Gent Waste Brick, the recycled brick used to construct the new wing.

Mystery dancers, live flash tattoos by KRAEY (with people already queuing before the opening) and creative workshops filled the evening. Radio Ruit provided several back-to-back sets, but the highlight of the evening was the street party. At 8:00pm, 2manydjs kicked off their highly anticipated set from the balcony of the new wing. 4,500 partygoers descended on the area and completely took over Grasbrug. The party got off to a great start and continued until 10:00pm. Inside the museum, the pre-party simply continued: a total of 8,000 people celebrated the Grand Reopening of the renovated museum. Due to the massive turnout, we reached full capacity at 11:30pm, but the party continued until 01:00am.

From 3 to 11 October, we’ll keep the Grand Reopening going for another nine days. In and around the museum, and thanks to Design Fest Gent also at various locations across the city, you can still enjoy a whole host of free exhibitions, workshops and activities. Curious about the full programme? Discover it here.