Bloomsday in Belgium 2026

A century ago, in the summer of 1926, James Joyce took a 5-week holiday in Ostend, together with his wife Nora, daughter Lucia and son Giorgio.

To celebrate Bloomsday and the holiday of the Joyce family to Ostend, there is an annual parade, through the city with lookalikes of Joyce and his family. The men with straw hat, blazer, white shirt and walking stick. The women in fashion of the 20s.

"Bloomsday is a ritual that is organized worldwide," says writer and organizer Koen Peeters. "People walk behind a brass band, drink, and read excerpts from 'Ulysses'."

This will be the 5th time this parade takes place on 16 June, but this year, there was a special anniversary to commemorate. Joyce's holiday in Ostend, a century ago.

The family stayed in the luxurious Hôtel de l'Océan, among other places. There is a nice anecdote attached to this, says Koen Peeters.

In a letter to his publisher, Joyce writes how he sits in the lobby of the hotel and hears how the doorman keeps answering the phone: "'Ici le portier de l'Océan', 'With the porter of the ocean'. It's nice that there is someone who guards the ins and outs of the sea."

James Joyce also wrote down Flemish words and expressions in a notebook in those Ostend weeks, which were later copied by his daughter. He went into the dunes with an Ostend pharmacist of Irish descent.

The parade was welcomed by the Mayor of Ostend and the Ambassador of Ireland, H.E. Kevin Conmy.

Together with the brass band Melody Makers, a festive parade walked through the city along the coast.

Texts by Joyce were read out by participants during the walk.

In addition to the Ostend celebrations, the second year of the Bloomsday and Beyond campaign took place across Belgium.

We invited members of the Irish community and those who enjoy Irish literature to join us in celebrating Bloomsday and Beyond with Passa Porta in Brussels.

Ulysses has inspired so many writers and works of art that it is only right to celebrate both the work of James Joyce and the work of Irish authors who came after him.

We were delighted to give away books from newly published Irish authors in collaboration with three independent bookshops across Belgium.

In Brussels, we thank our friends at Passa Porta for hosting us in their fantastic new English language bookshop, we recommend a visit if you need your next summer read!

Comhghairdeas to all the lucky winners of the Bloomsday & Beyond raffle, we hope you enjoy your books!

If you managed to get your hands on a book yesterday, we want to know! Reach out and tell us what you thought.

Until next year! Happy Bloomsday!