This was the first multinational submission on intangible cultural heritage carried out by the Brussels-Capital Region, which acted on behalf of all of Belgium’s federal entities.
The initiative was started by the Paris-based Musée des Arts Forains, and was supported by the funfair communities of both Belgium and France, and the Défense des forains belges, a professional organisation. It took urban. brussels, a public body responsible for cultural heritage, over ten years to fully prepare and coordinate the submission. Four years ago, the Brussels-Capital Region, with the support of urban.brussels, took on the task of getting the living culture of funfairs recognised as part of the regional intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
Since December 2024, Belgian and French funfair culture has been inscribed on UNESCO’s list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The funfair community in Belgium consists of nearly 850 family businesses, or about 7,000 people, who are all part of a culture that has passed down its traditions from generation to generation.
WAB Magazine
