Ghent (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Patershol Festivities are starting in Ghent, will run until Sunday, Aug 17, 2025, celebrating local culture with music, food, and traditions. Dean Kristof Catelin and Trees Coene highlight the famous gestrijken mastellen.
As VRT News reported, the Patershol Festivities are starting in Ghent. The neighbourhood is famous for its narrow cobblestone streets and old buildings. Dean Kristof Catelin of the Patershol Deanery said the event has its charm.
“Some people call it the small Ghent Festivities, but the narrow streets make it special,”
he said. The festival will run until Sunday, Aug 17, 2025.
What makes the Patershol Festivities in Ghent special this year?
The Patershol Festivities started as a simple neighbourhood party for residents. Over time, it has grown but still focuses on local life. This year, the program includes an Eucharist celebration.
There is also a neighbourhood breakfast, where people meet and share meals. The People’s Ball will offer music, dancing, and entertainment in the streets. The festival will end with a Candlelight Procession on Sunday, Aug 17, 2025.
According to officials, visitors should not miss an opportunity to try the traditional gestrijken mastellen during a visit to the Patershol Festivities in Ghent. These pastries consist of small rolls cut open and filled with butter and brown sugar. They are then pressed using a hot iron, caramelising the sugar and producing a crispy, sweet top on the pastry.
“That first year we sold 50,”
Trees recalls.
“Now we have a whole team of ironers and salespeople. I estimate we sell about 5,000 ironed mastels.”
Trees Coene, a longtime member of the Patershol Deanery Board, shared the story behind the mastellen. She remembers that in 1988, a group of women on the board wanted to contribute to the neighbourhood.
They introduced the ironed mastellen using her grandmother’s traditional recipe. At first, sales were small, with only a table and two regular irons, but today they use modern irons without ribs to make the pastries more efficiently.
Mastellen have a long history in Ghent. By the end of the 19th century, they were already popular as an affordable alternative to expensive pastries. Back then, most people could not afford traditional pastries, but mastellen offered a sweet, tasty treat for everyone.
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