Humor is everywhere—even in heritage, even when you don’t expect it. Dive into the program for Heritage Day 2026. Under the themeHAHA Humor, you’ll discover how laughter connects, challenges, and sometimes even confronts people throughout history. From satire and stories to contemporary memes: humor is everywhere. This leads to a series of surprising and playful activities in which the ErfgoedApp also plays ErfgoedApp role.
From the extensive program, we’ve selected a few tours, games, scavenger hunts, and walks that ErfgoedApp the ErfgoedApp . Are you ready to explore?
A Pub Crawl
A joke at the bar, a frothy pint, or a story that only grew stronger with the passing years: countless cafés once formed the beating heart of Steenweg. What went on behind the facades of ‘t Groot Hotel, the “Crazy Pub,” the “Ons Huis” hall, and more? ? Join us on an immersive journey and get a taste of the café’s past during an unconventional pub crawl. Historical facts are spiced with tasty anecdotes and juicy stories. Here and there, you’ll meet some extraordinary bar patrons.
About the lovely Agatha and the donkeys in Bassevelde
The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Bassevelde now also has its own guided tour on the ErfgoedApp. Following Watervliet and the St. Vincent Church in Eeklo, starting on Heritage Day, you can also visit the church in Bassevelde to use your smartphone to discover all there is to know about the beautiful religious heritage that the village’s faith community has built up over the centuries.
A Walk Through Imaginary History
The Verheugen Collective presents: The Fantastical Historical Walk Through Diest!
Pedro Coloma at Bornem Abbey
Pedro Coloma, Bornem’s eccentric benefactor, will guide you through the Abbey! Following the success of the “Walk with Pedro” heritage tour, you can now explore Bornem Abbey with none other than Pedro Coloma as your guide! This playful baron will take you on a tour of the monastery he founded himself. Along the way, he humorously reveals the abbey’s secrets, its rich history, and hidden spots. A tour full of jokes, surprises, and mischievous tidbits—perfect for young and old alike!
Fun and Games at the Geel Guest House Museum
It’s time to discover our Hysterical Histories during Heritage Day! Find out what hilarious antics took place at the Gasthuis. Or would you like to discover what kind of humor suits you best? Our Humor Quiz will reveal all. Are you creative? Then our “Draw-in Dimpna” story invites you to bring the craziest characters and settings to life.
Olen Laughs
Stories and depictions of the “farmers of Olen,” who welcome Emperor Charles by offering him delicious rice pudding, but through an unfortunate twist of fate, everything goes awry. This story forms the basis of our reception, which centers on rice and rice pudding. We welcome guests in the garden of our restored rectory. At the same time, there is a walking and cycling route in Olen and the surrounding area, where participants can explore a selection from the 25-year-old Kartoenale of Olen, which are on display at various rest stops.
Pit stop Permeke
The site of the Permeke Library stood vacant for years in the 1980s. After a thorough renovation in 2005, the dilapidated garage was transformed into a bustling library: for over twenty years now, it has been the beating heart of 2060 and Antwerp. Library staff member Rob Talboom takes you on a journey through the building’s surprising history, peppering his story with juicy anecdotes and humorous nods. Rob departs at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 12 p.m. You can also follow the tour using the erfgoedapp.
Visit Vaalbeek
On April 26, a number of activities will take place in the borough of Vaalbeek as part of Heritage Day. The exhibition in the Magdalena Chapel features cartoons by Lejon De Borger, as well as works by artists Pol Mulier and Roland Renson. We will also unveil three new heritage panels that day at 3 p.m. There will also be music featuring old-time folk songs between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., a tribute to Zulma, who ran the Café d’Ostende in Vaalbeek during World War I.
Curiosities in the Church with Frans De Potter
A confessional with underfloor heating?! You can find one at St. James’s Church! Frans de Potter (Ghent, January 4, 1834 – Ghent, August 15, 1904) was a Flemish writer, editor, poet, literary scholar, and historian. With more than 200 works, he built up an impressive body of work. Between 1882 and 1890, he published his monumental historical study *Ghent, from the Earliest Times to the Present: A Historical Description of the City in Eight Volumes*, a work that was praised as “an imperishable monument.”
Wilde Hoogten: From the Marshes to Meetjesland Cycling Route
This interactive bike tour takes you along historic waterways, peat fields, and medieval canals. You’ll cycle over ancient sand ridges, along the Lieve River, and through towns like Zomergem, Waarschoot, and Ertvelde, where the past remains visible in the landscape.
Is there humor in religion?
According to tradition, Saint Amandus, the founder of Saint Bavo’s Abbey, was thrown into the Scheldt River on two separate occasions. For some of the onlookers, this must have been a hilarious event; for Amandus’s followers, however, it was likely far less so. This anecdote already suggests that religion and humor do not have the most obvious relationship. They are often at odds with one another. Furthermore, jokes about religion often provoke roaring laughter, whereas humor in a religious context, to the extent that it exists, tends to elicit more of a smile.
From an old regional dialect to new imagery
The old Buitings dialect is being brought back to life with the help of AI in the form of digitally designed art. Humorous words and expressions in the Buitings dialect are depicted in artworks inspired by the style of the old masters. In the “Mayor’s Park,” behind the former town hall and the small castle of former mayor de Quebedo, the Buiting dialect’s rich vocabulary greets you with a wagging tail from behind trees or bushes, in an exhibition designed to be explored on foot.
Heritage Day at the Latemse Kluis
On Heritage Day, you’re welcome to visit De Kluis in Sint-Martens-Latem. There, you can watch the film “De Adem van de Warande” at any time—a landscape biography by Pol Van der Plaetsen about the Warande area in Deurle. You can also watch ‘Het Verlangde Landschap’ (The Longed-for Landscape), a slide show about the painting ‘Landschap met Molen’ (Landscape with Windmill) by Gust De Smet. Finally, you’ll also learn more about the location, the former residence of the Dominican Fathers.
Flowers for Leonie & Emilie
Welcome to Boekhoute! More than a century ago, two best friends lived in this village: Leonie Rammeloo and Emilie Schatteman. Just two girls from the village… or were they? During the war, they smuggled secret letters to the Netherlands, hidden in their clogs. Exciting, isn’t it? They didn’t do that just for the sake of it. They helped the Allies gather important information about the enemy. And all of that right here, in their own village! This walk honors these resistance heroines, who gave their lives for their country during World War I.
Through the eyes of the master
The 2011 work “Through the Master’s Eye” immediately sets the tone for a visit to the exhibition at Villa ter Ide. This painting by Martin Wallaert, from a private collection, brings humor to art—which happens to be the very theme of this 25th edition of Heritage Day. To mark Heritage Day, a thematic exhibition has been organized with a nod to the subject of humor.
Out and about with Osschaert in Adegem
With this route through and around Adegem-Dorp, the Ambibrew Brewers’ Association takes you on a journey back in time. Through old photographs, you’ll discover what Adegem once looked like. Some relics have already been forgotten, while other spots and remnants still hold vivid memories. Thanks to the Adegem Folk Theater, you’ll hear a number of audio clips along the more rural part of the walk that tell you a bit of the story of Osschaert, the Adegem Imp.
Walking through Ursel
This inclusive walking tour takes you to 12 locations throughout Ursel. The information signs at each heritage site encourage exploration, dialogue, and, ultimately, the preservation of Ursel’s local heritage and history. There are also interactive elements, such as QR codes that lead to fun games and additional information. This walk is intended for everyone: young, old, people with disabilities… and for you! The red handkerchief with a knot, a symbol of dementia-friendliness, remains the central image of this walk.
Voices from Little Russia
Klein Rusland is no ordinary neighborhood. Here, a century-old story—born of ideals—comes to life. Built as Flanders’ first modernist working-class neighborhood, it has grown into a vibrant community, marked by change and uncertainty but never lacking in resilience.
Waste fabric
Did you know that the name Meetjesland originates from the region, where “meetjes” (women of different generations) used to spin yarn in their village homes? This traditional craft gave the area its identity as a textile region. It was therefore no coincidence that industrial textile weaving developed in Waarschoot and other villages along the Ghent-Eeklo railway line.
