A New Cultural Moment: Ghent’s Ramadan Lights

The Belgian city of Ghent has installed official Ramadan street illuminations along two of its busiest shopping streets, marking the first time a municipality in the country has publicly decorated for the Muslim holy month.

The lights, featuring crescent motifs and warm golden designs, were switched on at the start of Ramadan, casting a festive glow over key commercial corridors in the historic Flemish city. Municipal authorities said the initiative was intended to recognise the diversity of Ghent’s population and reflect the lived experiences of thousands of Muslim residents.

Belgium has long displayed public decorations for Christian celebrations such as Christmas and Easter, but no city had previously introduced Ramadan-themed street lighting as part of its official civic calendar. While other European cities, including parts of the United Kingdom and Germany, have adopted similar gestures in recent years, Ghent’s move represents a first within Belgium.

Estimates indicate that Muslims make up between six and eight per cent of Belgium’s population – approximately 700,000 to 900,000 people in a country of just over 11.7 million. In urban centres such as Brussels and Antwerp, the proportion is significantly higher, with some districts reporting Muslim populations approaching a quarter of residents.

Most Belgian Muslims are descendants of labour migrants who arrived in the 1960s and 1970s from Morocco and Turkey under bilateral work agreements. Over the decades, subsequent generations have been born and educated in Belgium, forming a sizeable and increasingly visible part of the national fabric.

City officials in Ghent described the Ramadan lights as a civic gesture rather than a religious endorsement, emphasising the importance of inclusion and representation in public spaces. They said the project aimed to foster a sense of belonging among Muslim residents while encouraging intercommunal solidarity.

Local traders also welcomed the move, noting that Ramadan often brings increased evening activity after the daily fast is broken at sunset. Restaurants, bakeries and retail outlets reported higher foot traffic as families gathered for iftar meals and shopping.

The initiative comes amid ongoing debates in Belgium and across Europe over integration, secularism and national identity. Supporters argue that public recognition of minority traditions can strengthen social cohesion by making diverse communities feel acknowledged within the civic sphere. Critics, however, have questioned whether religious symbolism belongs in public spaces.

For now, Ghent’s illuminated streets stand as a visible sign of demographic and cultural change in Belgium – an acknowledgment that Ramadan, like other religious observances, forms part of the country’s contemporary social landscape. Whether other Belgian cities will follow suit remains to be seen, but the move has already opened a new chapter in the national conversation about identity, diversity and belonging.

Ramadan lights illuminate streets in Ghent’s Turkish and Muslim neighbourhoods on February 24 2026. / AA