Foire du Midi counted one million visitors

The 144th edition of Brussels’ Foire du Midi counted its one millionth visitor just before the fair drew to a close on 18 August.

The five-week-long festival began on 13 July and featured 130 attractions. Most fair-goers (87%) were Belgian.

“With peak visitor numbers between 20.00 and 22.00, we can see that Belgians like to spend time with family, friends or colleagues in the evening to make the most of the summer,” said Benhur Ergen, the city’s alderman for economic affairs.

“In fact, for many families, the fair is the ultimate holiday, a time for fun and joy. The fair is also essential for the attractiveness of Brussels in summer.

"Brussels empties out between 15 July and 15 August, and the fairground is an essential hub for the city."

It was noted that temperatures and rainfall had little overall impact on visitor numbers, which peaked on the holiday weekends of 21 July and 15 August.

Visitors flocked mainly from nearby Brussels municipalities (27% from the City of Brussels, 10% from Saint-Gilles and 8.7% from Anderlecht). When it comes to foreign visitors, one in three were French.

“The Foire du Midi is a traditional fair,” said Patrick De Corte of the Comité des Forains.

“We mustn't forget that it enables a lot of young people who can't go on holiday to come and enjoy themselves.”

The fair attracted more or less the same amount of visitors as last year, which saw 1,071,000 visitors in total.