Travel Guide: The Best of Belgium's Summer Festivals

Sparkling Spectacles to Savor

Belgium abounds with festival fun in summertime. Science fiction monsters, bobbling bathtubs, and six-story sand sculptures vie for the visitor's affections, while a tail- swishing dragon, 40 foot Giants, and a procession of the condemned, complete with noosewear, contribute historical perspective.

When heading to Dinant, Belgium, discard every bit of packing advice you've ever encountered. Pack everything including the kitchen sink? Okay, leave the kitchen sink behind, but do remember to bring a bathtub! Dinant, a city in west-central Belgium (a little more than an hour southeast of Brussels) is famed for its international Regate des Baignoires, or Bathtub Regatta. Positively quirky and delightfully unconventional, the Regate des Baignoires floats, bobbles and lurches down the Muese River each year in mid-August. Design and decoration get pretty offbeat, but there's one inviolable rule: somewhere under it all, there must be a bathtub. Scrub a dub-dub. Paddle power approved, motors verboten. Festival goers should dress for a drenching as the impulse to bail seems to overcome the exuberant sailors- and they have to toss the water somewhere. The Regate is tentatively scheduled for August 15, 2007 but as the date is subject to change, festival goers should confirm the date in advance and obtain up-to-date information about the event from the tourist office at telephone 32 (0) 82 22 2129 or 32 (0) 82 22 31 87; or email the tourist office at info@dinant-tourisme.be.