Experience

2028 to be Music Year in Antwerp

Posted by Timothy on

In 1993, Antwerp was Cultural Capital of Europe. This status was a catalyst for many events such as exhibitions and performances, but also gave Antwerp a boost. 2028 will be dedicated to music, new Alderwoman for Culture Lien Van de Kelder (Vooruit) says. 

“Isn’t it high time that there was another kind of Antwerp cultural capital, like in 1993?”, Gazet van Antwerpen asks the alderman. 

“Antwerp ’93 was a great cultural year. I played an orphan girl in the musical ‘Annie‘”, Van de Kelder replies.

“Many seeds were planted that year that we can still enjoy today. I hope to be able to create something like that in 2028. That will be the Wannes Van de Velde year. We will then organize all kinds of things around this Antwerp musician. The entire city must be dedicated to music. At the moment I can’t say how we are going to do this, but we are going to go very broad. From the cafés to people who come out on the street with their musical instruments. The city will be buzzing.”

Who was Wannes Van de Velde?

Wannes Van de Velde (29 April 1937 – 10 November 2008), born Willy Cecile Johannes Van de Velde in Antwerp, was a Flemish folk singer, guitarist, musician, poet, puppeteer, and artist. He is best known for his songs ‘Ik Wil deze Nacht in de Straten Verdwalen‘ (1973), ‘Mijn Mansarde‘, and ‘De Brug van Willebroek‘ (1990). 

His work is often classified as kleinkunst (small art), and he was notable for performing in his local dialect.

Van de Velde’s father, Jaak Van de Velde, was a metalworker and a gifted singer, while his mother was a housewife and also a singer. He grew up in the Zirkstraat, close to Antwerp’s Red Light District, where he was constantly surrounded by music at home.

The song ‘Ik Wil deze Nacht in de Straten Verdwalen’ was composed for the film ‘Home Sweet Home‘ by Benoît Lamy. In 1997, he was awarded the Arkprijs van het Vrije Woord (Award for the Free Word)

Van de Velde passed away in Antwerp on 10 November 2008, at the age of 71.

Art and museums in Antwerp