Festival of the Fool
Intro...
Join us for the Festival of the Fool - a week of workshops, street play, celebration, and connection.
You don’t need a script or stage experience.
You need only bring your full self: your silliness and sorrow, your joy and your truth.
Because this isn’t a performance - it’s a remembering....
The Story of the Festival...
Once upon a time, The Fool brought levity and whispered truths into the ears of dangerous rulers. Wise in wit, spontaneous in ditties, delicate in tale-weaving—yet always humble. But where is the Fool now? In a world full of noise and bluster, who will dance, sing, and show us what is good, true, and beautiful?
From 1100 to 1400, the Feast of Fools was a sacred holiday that turned the world upside down. Led by a “Bishop of Fools,” people parodied power through irreverent rituals and playful chaos. It was spiritual theatre, a way to release pressure from rigid hierarchies and reconnect with joy and truth. So powerful was this play that the Church banned it in 1431. Still, it lingered—especially in Belgium, where its spirit lived on for centuries.
So what if we could bring it back? Not as a re-enactment, but as a living, breathing Festival of the Fool for today. A sacred holiday of the heart, where public play is our tool for awakening. Where strangers become companions through laughter and presence. Where truth-telling wears bells and mischief reveals grace.
We found just the place: Ghent, Belgium. A pearl of a city, alive with music, stories, and spontaneous joy every July during the Gentse Feesten. Its cobbled streets, grand buildings, and winding canals feel made for magic. Here, the Fool finds a welcome. Here, play and presence meet in sacred mischief.
The Fool isn’t gone. The Fool is in you.
Let’s begin...
What Is the Festival of the Fool in Ghent 2025?
A six-and-a-half-day life-shifting experience led by seasoned fool, storyteller, and soul-guide Angela Halvorsen Bogo. Angela has over 35 years of experience as a performer, clown, storyteller, and teacher. Her work is rooted in deep listening, embodied truth, and the healing power of story.
What Will We Do?
2 Days of Fool Workshops
Tap into joy, freedom, and spontaneous creativity through guided practices. Rediscover your wild, wise self.
3 Days of Street Play in Ghent
Step into sacred play in public spaces. Engage with strangers through improvisation, presence, and laughter. Begin each day with a group warm-up and end with reflective debriefing.
1 Full Day Celebration
We gather everything we’ve learned and offer it back to the city in celebration. Sacred revelry, heartfelt closure, and shared magic.
7 Evenings of Gathering
Rest, dream, reflect, and connect. Collaborate on ideas or simply be nourished by community. Or have some time to yourself.
Explore Ghent
Immerse yourself in the magic of the Gentse Feesten. Wander the streets of this historical city, listen to music, discover spontaneous joy...
Where To Stay
Some may be staying here. (https://urban-gardens.be/en/ghent/)
- Camp in your own tent
- Bring a camper van
- Rent a lodge, cabin, or glamping tent
- ... Or stay anywhere you like in Ghent!
What You Need
No performance experience required. Bring your listening, your song, your stillness, your sparkle. Show up fully human.
This is about choosing joy as a radical act. It’s about building a life—and a world—that honors presence, play, and truth.
Schedule
Arrivals - Wednesday 16th 1600-2000
Fool Play Workshop - Thursday 17th - Friday 18th
- If staying at Urban Gardens, you need to leave for the workshop space around 0920.
- 1000 - 1630, plus Friday 1800 -1900 Gentse Feesten opening ceremony
Festival Play Days - Saturday 19th, Sunday, 20th, Monday 21st (Timings may be adjusted to suit the groups needs)
- 1000 Warm up and Preparation
- 1200 Street play + debrief
- 1300 Lunch Break
- 1430 Street play + debrief
- 1600 Reflection: what we liked most
- Evenings: optional time together sharing stories, skills and community
Festival of the Fool Finale Tuesday 22nd. Co-created integration, celebration and dreamtime.
- story sharing at the Castle of the Counts or a slow boat trip down the River Leie?
- dreamtime in 11th century Sint-Baafskathedraale or lunch somewhere in the medieval cobble stoned Patershol?
- strolling with Belgian chocolate in Graffiti Alley or drinking at Tavern Dulle Griet (they have 350 Belgian beers)?
Departures Wednesday 23rd
Depending on departure times we may have a final breakfast together.
What will be actually doing whilst playing on the streets??
- Finding simple games and playing them with each other and for passers by (e.g. Pointing at beautiful things, dancing to a busker, )
- Allowing moments of magic by simply being together in costume and seeing what invites us/calls to us
- Creating spontaneous mini-performances: plays or songs, with very little spoken English words
What skills and experience am I likely to gain from it?
- Learning to deepen observation skills - learning to listen and look deeply both in ourselves and in our immediate surroundings in a city environment.
- Exercising your freedom to show up, be visible, move, sing, make mistakes, be joyful.
- Being an anchor of safety and radiating it anywhere.
- Practice creating and exploring spontaneous moments and happenings with zero pressure and room to learn.
- Bespoke mentoring from Angela on getting into playful states of being and sharing that with audiences...
- If you wish there is opportunity to try out your own performance.
Other Important Info...
For the street play, you will receive your very own hand sewn Fool Troubadour hat to keep!
We will help you create a Fool Troubadour costume in royal blue, golden yellow, beige and red.
We have some costumes to loan and we will tell you exactly what else you need to bring.
Pricing and tickets
What is included
All workshops, mentoring, street play license for Gentse Feesten (that allows us to collect money)
What is not included
Accomodation and meals. (we aim to find sensible, inexpensive ways to keep meal costs down)
Our Pricing
We have decided to operate a sliding scale according to means, trusting that everyone can access the festival. The lowest prices are at our break even point. Please choose a ticket that fits your income. You can also make a donation that helps us to offer subsidized places to 3 full time students of music, theatre or dance.
Full Festival 6.5 days, July 16-23
299 - 450 Euros
100 Euros Full time students of music, theatre or dance, 3 places. Email angela.bogo@gmail.com to apply.
Shorter Festival - 4.5 days, July 16-20
179 - 350 Euros
Day Festival - July 21st (limited spaces) This will give a taste of what we are doing.
49-150 Euros
Questions
angela.bogo@gmail.com
Background Info
Gentse Feesten was first held in 1843. The modern Gentse Feesten, started in 1969, has grown to cover the entire inner city of Ghent. It is one of the largest cultural and popular festivals in Europe, attracting around 2 million visitors annually.The festival is known for its rebellious and anarchistic atmosphere, while also catering to a wide range of audiences.
2025 Expectations:
- The 2025 Gentse Feesten is likely to be a vibrant event, with a focus on music, street performances, and other cultural activities.
- The festival organizers may continue to feature a diverse range of artists and events to appeal to a broad audience.
- The festival will likely have a strong focus on promoting the city of Ghent and its cultural heritage.
- Expect a festive atmosphere, with street performers, food stalls, and a generally lively and energetic environment.
Angela Halvorsen Bogo has 35 years experience as a clown, fool and storyteller. She has taught teaching The Fool as a transformational process for 25 years in the UK, Ireland, USA, Australia, Norway, Germany, Italy, Morocco and Zimbabwe. Trained by a Master storyteller of the indigenous Travelling People in Scotland she has performed in all these countries plus Canada, Denmark, Switzerland, South Korea and Iran.
She ia a Therapeutic clown for people with dementia, a coach for artist and performers and an Advanced Practitioner of Social Presencing Theatre. She has worked in organisational change, been key-note speaker, taught leaders, teachers, priests and nurses, been Director of The Telling Place (UK), written and epic fairytale and invented the Festival of the Fool online during the pandemic and in person in 2024.
Location
Gentse Feesten, 9000