Hasseltse Jeneverfeesten

Once a year Hasselt, the Belgian capital of jenever, celebrates the Hasseltse Jeneverfeesten. Visitors from all over Europe travel to the town to enjoy the big delight of a small glass filled with gin or ‘jenever’. Rumour has it that even the city’s fountain will be flowing with jenever during the festival. Jenever, or Dutch gin, plays an important role in the heritage of Hasselt. It was by chance that the city became one of the few towns in Flanders where the strong gin was allowed to be brewed. Here, the most powerful men in town were the bosses of the once more than 30 jenever distilleries. Even today, Hasselt is still famous for its spirits and the city is known as the ‘Belgian capital of jenever’.