The Crystal Ship arts festival in Ostend will be moved to June this year. The city of Ostend reports this on Tuesday. The festival was normally scheduled for the Easter holidays, but due to the ongoing corona situation and the associated travel restrictions, the edition will be moved to June.
The arts festival The Crystal Ship normally unveils new street art in Ostend every year during the Easter holidays. The new creations come on top of the dozens of works of art from previous editions and together form a free art trail through the city. But this year, the artists will not create new art installations and murals in the seaside town until June 12-20, 2021.
Usually, many international artists also participate in the festival. ‘Our artists must not only take into account the measures in Belgium, but also those from their home country. This often means that they have to serve two extended quarantine periods, here and at home. That is not feasible for many of them, ‘says curator Bjørn Van Poucke.
By postponing the festival, mayor Bart Tommelein (Open VLD) should not fear even more crowds during the Easter holidays. After all, the coastal mayors fear a surprise in good weather, because the catering industry will remain closed for the time being and the travel ban is still in force.