Located 15km away from Brussels, the Flemish Brabant town of Halle expects to receive thousands of visitors, after 2 years of Covid-19 restrictions, to see the beauty of a woodland covered by a carpet of wild bluebells.
1. Bluebell Festival
An iconic attraction for Belgium’s natives and residents, the Bluebell Festival is a riot of colours and scents in springtime, with the flowers normally coming into bloom during the second half of April. Once a year they transform the ground in areas of woodland into an enchanting floral carpet attracting thousands of visitors.
2. Crowded 2022
After two years of strict Covid-19 restrictions the local authority and the Flemish Nature and Woodland Agency expect this year to be a crowded one. However, they have joined forces to ensure that everything goes to plan.
Around 40 volunteers will work to ensure that everything runs smoothly. They will ensure that visitors are able to find the spots where the bluebells are or to help those that are lost in the woods to find their way. To prevent visitors from getting lost, volunteers will also offer them a map with the trails in Hallerbos. Other volunteers will clear litter and make sure that the visitors paths don’t trample the plants.
3. Transport
The City of Halle is providing free transportation for those who want to visit the beauty of the Bluebell Festival. Shuttle busses will be available from Halle Town Centre to the Hallerbos. With this move, the local authority hopes that those that visit the woods will also visit the town centre with its Basilica and other historic buildings.
The shuttle buses that will run from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. are also intended to encourage people to use public transport rather than their car. Those that wish to can also rent a bike free of charge at Halle railway station from 16 April to 1 May.
