The date originally had no reference to 21 July, Belgian National Day, but that holiday is always included.

The modern Gentse Feesten was started in the summer of 1969 by Ghent singer Walter De Buck and ex-wife Paula Monsart with people from Café Trefpunt.

Although the festival has become a mass event, it has retained some of the rebellious and anarchistic atmosphere of the early days.

In a 2005 ranking by localfestivities.com,[1] the Gentse Feesten was called the third biggest city festival in Europe, preceded by the Fallas in Valencia and the Oktoberfest in Munich.

The festival did not take place in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium, being held again in the summer of 2022, after a two-year break.