Hof der dingen - Flag of 'The Merry Singers' from Ardooie

Wherever you travel along West Flanders’ country roads, you’re bound to come across a finch singing competition. This traditional folk sport is especially popular in West Flanders and parts of East Flanders. 

The concept is simple: the finch that sings the most correct songs in one hour wins the match. Every time their bird sings a correct song, the finch owner or an official makes a chalk mark on the board. And what makes a song correct? It’s all in the final notes — the suskewiet — which distinguishes a proper Flemish finch from a Wallon one. At the 2023 Belgian Championship in Langemark-Poelkapelle, the finch belonging to Noël Verzele sang an astonishing 1,027 songs in one hour. 

Finch singing competitions are held each year between April 1st and August 31st. In Flanders, up to 7,000 matches take place every season. Most are friendly— winners often go home with nothing more than a trophy or a bouquet of flowers. 

This sport has a centuries-old tradition. As early as the late 16th century, finch-singing guilds already existed. With the sport’s growing popularity, the number of finch-singers’ cafés and clubs increased dramatically in the 19th century. Many of these clubs were closely linked to local pubs. The oldest guild in the province, “Verheugd in de Zang” from Aarsele, was founded back in 1838. 

Today, Flanders still counts an estimated 5,500 finch singers —a small fraction of what the numbers once were. Due to the declining popularity of the sport, an increasing number of clubs are struggling to survive.

The club De Lustige Zangers (The Merry Singers) from Ardooi had been active since 1987 – but sadly, they recently marked their final tally and brought an end to their proud tradition.