Hof der dingen - Megaphone of Tony Willems

West Flanders has a passion for parades and processions — deeply rooted in popular, often Catholic traditions and rituals. Think of historic processions such as the Perelaar Ommegang in Klerken, the Procession of the Holy Blood in Bruges, or the Golden Tree Parade, held here every five years. 

But the province also celebrates with carnival parades in Gullegem, Pittem, and Blankenberge, and unique folklore events like the Kattenstoet in Ypres (Festival of the Cats) or de Heksenstoelt (The Witches’ Parade) in Beselare. Parades — whatever the occasion — draw crowds and deepen the sense of community in towns and villages. 

The megaphone you see here was, for many years, the indispensable tool of Tony Willems, a Bruges native and director of large-scale open-air events. He used it to coordinate the Procession of the Holy Blood, direct jousting games on Bruges’ Market Square in 1974, and lead spectacles such as the Rodenbach Parade in 1986 and 1991, as well as the celebrations for King Baudouin’s 60th birthday and 40 years on the throne. 

Tony is a Bruges native and specialised in directing open-air spectacles. He personally directed the Procession of the Holy Blood for no less than forty years. Under his leadership, in 2009, this historic procession was inscribed on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage — a fitting recognition of a tradition he helped to preserve.