Busy Sunday ahead with Flemish Port Day and Open Yard Day

It promises to be a busy and exciting Sunday as, after six years, the sixth edition of the Flemish Port Day is finally on the agenda. Some 95 yards will also open for the 16th edition of the Open Yard Day.

During Flemish Port Day, the ports of Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent and Ostend will be open to the public. New this year is the participation of the domestic container terminal Haven Genk. The central theme is innovation, "because ports never stand still and are a testing ground for pioneering and innovative products and techniques", the organisers say.

Around 160 activities are offered, from visits to port companies, ships, terminals and customs warehouses to guided tours. The navy, maritime contractor DEME, Volvo Car Ghent, steel company ArcelorMittal, and freight railway company Lineas are participating. Europe's largest tyre warehouse, Bridgestone, and the construction dock of the Scheldt tunnel are on the programme, as is Zoutman, the highest and most modern salt tower in the world.

95 yards open to the public

Sunday also sees the 16th edition of Open Yard Day. Some 95 building yards all over Belgium will be open to the public, eight of them for virtual visits. They range from major infrastructure works to renovations and the construction of low-energy houses. Among the participants are the electricity network operator Elia, the new casino in Middelkerke and Mechelen's historic city palace Hof van Busleyden.

Open Yard Day is an initiative of the construction association Embuild. Last year, 54,000 visitors attended the event in person and 141,000 online.

^{#FlandersNewsService | Illustration picture taken during the first dig of the new Middelkerke casino © BELGA PHOTO ADRIAAN CLYNCKEMAILLIE}