Global warming sounds death knell for Bruges ice festival
The City of Bruges is axing the annual ice sculpture festival as well as the traditional Christmas ice rink on the historic market square. Bruges says attractions like these can no longer be justified as a result of global warming.
Alexander Deman, the organiser of the ice sculpture festival is incandescent: “It’s not all that detrimental for the environment” he insists. “The festival was the most visited attraction in the whole of Belgium, pulling in up to 200,000 visitors. We had a fantastic theme planned for this year to coincide with the release of the movie “Frozen 2” that premieres in November. It’s a dead shame.”
Skating isn’t being banned in Bruges. Aficionados will be able to head for an artificial ice rink on the Minnewater. But Bruges now plans to examine whether or not winter activities are detrimental to the climate or not.
Mayor Dirk De fauw: “We’re using a ‘winter compass’, a form of points system. Activities that use an awful lot of energy will get bad points. We’re looking for renewable, sustainable activities.”
