Day trippers flock to the sea in good weather: Plopsaland opens all car parks, beach bars do great business | Region

Last year the beach bars had a big day on May 1 and the wonderful weather in combination with the holiday ensures that today will be a big hit for them again. “The most popular drink still remains our Strawberry Mojito,” laughs Ralph Dobbelaere, who runs Karma Beach in Blankenberge with his wife Valentine Wyckaert. Read it here.

In Ostend the coastal tram is currently interrupted due to an incident in Koningstraat. As a result, trams cannot continue in that part of the route for the time being. That’s late Jens Van Herp, spokesperson for De Lijn, know.

De Lijn is deploying replacement buses between Ostend station and the stop at the Wellington track to help travelers continue. According to the transport company, the interruption will probably last up to 4 hours.

Car traffic is also currently not allowed in the area around the incident. This means there are long traffic jams in Leopold II-laan and Van Iseghemlaan. The police are on site to direct traffic.

The water temperature? It is barely 13 degrees. But in Knokke-Heist that didn’t stop many people from taking a dip in the fresh North Sea. They did this under the watchful eye of the rescuers. Many people also enjoyed a bright May Day on the beach itself.

Despite the large influx of day trip tourists, traffic in Ostend is currently running smoothly. It is busy, but motorists carefully follow the directions to the peripheral car parks, so the center is spared from traffic jams.

“By focusing on distribution, we can limit the nuisance,” says the spokesperson for the Ostend Police. “We therefore advise people to continue to do so.”

It is also striking that many visitors choose to come to the sea by train. The police are also calling on beachgoers to spread out along the coast. “This way we avoid everyone going to the same part of the beach and it remains pleasant for everyone.”

The roads around Plopsaland in De Panne are currently very busy. Spokesman Gunther Tijsmans confirms this. According to him, the traffic congestion is due to a combination of different traffic flows.

“It is a mix of traffic from France that wants to go to the coast, through traffic and of course destination traffic for Plopsaland,” says Tijsmans. “Everything is kind of coming together.”

Due to the large influx, the amusement park has also opened parking lot 7. “All our car parks are currently open,” the spokesperson said.

Because many visitors arrive later in the day, the park will remain open longer today. Plopsaland is accessible at least until 7 p.m. so that visitors still have plenty of time to discover the park.

“It was a completely sold-out edition. So we can certainly call it a success,” says Alderman of Sport Bert De Brabandere (Inzicht). “The atmosphere was also very good along the route. There were even people with a garden hose to provide the runners with some cooling. It was not yet too hot and there were no notable incidents. Just as traffic disruption remained limited. Very soon after the last runners passed, the road was cleared again.”

The nice weather and the extended weekend ensure extra crowds on the coast. Hans Simoen, who rents out go-carts and bicycles, also notices this. “For us this is ideal,” he says. “The combination of an extended weekend and nice weather attracts many people to the sea.”

According to him, the school holidays in Wallonia also play a role. “As a result, it is often a bit busier in May. Many families come to the coast for a day or a weekend.”

For children, a ride on the go-kart is really part of a day at the seaside, according to Simoen. “That’s like eating an ice cream or playing on the beach. The little ones often get a push from their parents.” In addition to go-carts, bicycles are also widely rented. “That is possible for half an hour, but some people even rent one for a whole month.”

The sun is out, there is hardly any wind and this is clearly evident from the enthusiastic faces on the beach of Knokke-Heist. And they liked to dive into the sea for a refreshing dip. All this under the watchful eye of the rescuers. “We prefer that people enter the water in a controlled manner. If we were not here, they would do it too,” says chief lifeguard Dries Hautekiet. Read it here.

If you want to know how busy it is at the moment on the Belgian coast, you can visit the crowd barometer. This provides an overview of the situation in the various coastal zones and is updated every fifteen minutes with the most recent data. The crowds at certain times of the previous day can also be consulted.

Anyone who takes to the road on this sunny May 1 must take into account exceptionally long traffic jams. According to the Flemish Traffic Center, the total traffic jam length on the Flemish highways increased to no less than 180 kilometers around half past twelve. “It’s a long weekend and the weather is beautiful, so it makes sense that many people go to the sea.” Read all about the traffic jams here.

Today is the official opening of it brand new event Club Bellevue “Tu m’as vue?” in Westende-Bad, which is completely dedicated to Paris.

“We have only just started and there are already a lot of people. There has been a lot of talk about this event in recent weeks. We are focusing on experience, with a beautiful setting supplemented with delicious food with a French touch. Next year there will be a sequel where we will bring a Spanish city to Westende,” says Alderman Lejaeghere.

The Kursaal and Zeedijk car parks in the center of Ostend are already fully full. Drivers who travel to the city should therefore look for an alternative in good time.

In the meantime, many people are also arriving from the station. A large stream of people heads towards the beach via the Visserskaai. There are also long queues at the ferry.

Anyone who is on the Flemish highways today must take into account heavy traffic disruption. By 11 a.m. there was already a traffic jam of around 170 kilometers.

Many people go out to enjoy the beautiful weather, which makes it especially busy on the roads towards the coast. Travel time on the E40 between Brussels and Ostend increases considerably. Motorists currently have to allow about two hours for that journey.

The May 1st parade on Labor Day is traditionally a major event in Ostend. Many socialist organizations from the region then gather in Jules Perquaetstraat to walk together through the streets of the seaside city. Read more here.

With six new cycling suggested routes, the local government wants to promote Middelkerke even more strongly as a cycling municipality, especially in the hinterland. “That is a true cycling paradise with kilometers of rural roads. But we are also committed to providing an extra experience along those routes with permanent musical instruments, bicycle repair points and useful information points in the village centres,” says Alderman for Tourism Natacha Lejaeghere (LDD). Read it here.