Monday, July 14, 2014

Leuven in Scène

Quirky Belgium


The Travelled Monkey - Leuven in Scene
Photos by John Weaver


Leuven in Scène is one of my favorite things in Belgium. It's a street theater festival that takes place every 3 years or so (I can't quite figure out their schedule). 

The first time I saw it was in 2003, the summer after I moved here. The theme that year was "Fire" and I remember thinking there's no way a city in the US could get away with this - hundreds of unattended fires burning throughout the city, all in the name of art. 

In 2006 the theme was "Color" and to this day the colors projected on the Leuven Town Hall are one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

The Travelled Monkey - Leuven in Scene
Leuven in Scène 2006, Chromolithe: Stadhuis in Kleur, by Patrice Warrener   Photo by John Weaver

I'm not sure what the theme was this year, but there was the usual trippiness on display. We could only stay during the day so missed the night show, which involved setting a bus on fire. Have a look...

Below are some more pics from the day's activities. If you've been to Leuven in Scène, or know of any other good "street theater festivals," let me know in the comments.

The Travelled Monkey - Leuven in Scene
Scubabianchi, a car-slash-fish tank that drove around playing the theme song from Jaws and squirting water at people

The Travelled Monkey - Leuven in Scene
Swan Lake, yes, the ballet, which they put on inside this caravan. Some of the "dancers" warming up outside.

The Travelled Monkey - Leuven in Scene
Klug, a cute robot that liked human contact


The Travelled Monkey - Leuven in Scene
Les Bigbrozeurs, 15-foot tall spies that came into the restaurant where we were eating

2 comments:

  1. The theme must be Super Cool Creative Bizarreness! And would that be the Princess on her throne???

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  2. Haha, yes, she's the princess of bizarreness! That was a "gypsy" merry-go-round and her seat had a wooden xylophone on it. It also had a dragon (that breathed smoke), an elephant (that sprayed water), a hammock, a treehouse, a hot air balloon… Let's just say it was elaborate!

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