Fiesta Des Ursulines is a renegade community event that takes place at Square Des Ursulines in the middle of the city of Bruxelles each year. Conceived by the Brusk collectif who also organized and built the skatepark, the Fiesta des Ursulines is not only a skateboarding event, but also focuses on culture, food, beer, silkscreening, photo exhibitions and social events such as dressing up in animal costumes or face paintings and going across the street to entertain the old people living in the retirement home. Since BRUSK IS DEAD, and the guys who founded event are now building skateparks around europe or focusing on their other artist talents, the festival is now run by some Bruxelles locals like Syzmon Stachon and Damien Delsaux. Earlier in the day there were some BMX events but I timed it right by first hitting up ELZO’s artshow on the way from my seedy hotel by the train station to the festival and arrived right as the best trick contest was going down on the newly built Volcano, a well needed addition to the street course. Mike of Concrete Flow, (formerly Brusk) built the man-sized volcano a few days before and the concrete cured just in time for a quick painting before the session was on.
All different styles of bands were playing throughout the day but I was focusing on the skateboarding so didn’t really get to enjoy the music until the bowl session in the Punisher bowl (which is much harder to skate than it looks) where the bands OTISS (crust/punk) and LEPER HOUSE (punk/hardcore) were playing “pool side”. The Fiesta des Ursulines is crazy congregation of anarchistic rebels and all walks of life… I’ve been to many cities around the world, and I must say that Bruxelles takes the cake for having the most oddball eccentric rebellious creatures on this planet. If you live in United States or another heavily policed state, there is no way anything like this event could ever go down. It would be crawling with pigs handcuffing and arresting suspicious characters and carting them off to jail. They would bring trouble where there was none. But you know what, nothing bad happened, no one got hurt (except for a few hippers and bruises), and everyone had a blast. Hope to see you there next year, if you dare…
Words + photos + video: Jonathan Hay
Fiesta des Ursulines – 2014
(Featuring: Ian Dykmans, Kwentin, Szymon Stachon, Yoeri Vromans, Donald Poolboy…. Music by Fugazi.)
Filmed / edited by J. Hay
Links to previous Confusion coverage of:
Fiesta des Ursulines – 2013
Fiesta des Ursulines – 2012
Fiesta des Ursulines – 2011
Fiesta des Ursulines – 2010
www.sk8boarders.be/fete-des-ursulines
Fiesta Des Uruslines is a renegade community skate, food, silkscreening, drinking and music fest that takes place every May in Bruxelles, Belgium. The concept originally conceived and brought into fruition by the Brusk collectif, has been taken over by some other Bruxelles locals, Szymon Stachon and Damien since Brusk is dead, and have moved onto other things like building skateparks, photography, etc. This year had a similar vibe as past years: rebellion, anarchy, skateboarding, and other bacchanalian rituals, along with socially benefiting side shows like dressing up in costumes and dancing with old people at the retirement home across the street. The threatening weather perhaps scared a few people away, although the clouds refused to burst at the Square des Ursulines and the party raged on from noon until midnight.
Earlier in the day there was some BMX action, but I chose to check out Elzo’s artshow and check into a seedy hotel near the train station and arrived just as the best trick over the volcano was getting underway. Mike (formerly of Brusk) built the decent sized volcano, and much needed additive obstacle to the street course, a couple days before the Fiesta! I missed most of the bands, although most of them sounded good, because I was checking out the skateboarding action, but “pool side” a few bands were playing during the bowl session: OTISS (crust/punk ), LEPER HOUSE ( punk/hardcore), TAT2NOISACT ( punk/noisexperimentatoo.)
There’s not much more to say, the Fiesta Des Uruslines is something you should experience for yourself…. it’s nothing like anything you’ve ever been to before… The Bruxhells locals are crazy people, all of them, every last one of them, but in a damn good way! Hopefully the Fiesta will continue in the years to come! See you there, if you dare…
Photos + words: Jonathan Hay