Holidays • Events On the coast, the midnight swim craze

With the start of the holidays, events are flourishing. On Sunday, the SNCB transported more than 19,000 people to the Coast. THE START of the holidays is also marked by various events. And the fine weather favoured day trips. Thus, on Sunday morning, more than 19,000 people took trains to the Belgian Coast, according to a press release from the SNCB. One hopes for their sake that they took the return train well before 10 p.m., the start time of the railway workers' strike. • Among the original activities organized this weekend, worth noting is the world record for the largest bag of fries in La Calamine. The organizers won their bet on Saturday as a new record has just been certified by representatives of the "Guinness Book of Records": 1,200 kilos of fries in a bag 3.5 metres high. This record was organized by the German radio station "Aachen 100, eins" for the benefit of an association for disabled and needy people in the La Calamine region. To set this record, several mobile chip shops as well as all the fry professionals of La Calamine joined forces to cook 1.2 tonnes of pre-cooked fries. According to one of the organizers, Jacques Meessen, it was a matter of national honour "since the previous record was held by Dutch people, whereas the country of fries remains Belgium". • A few days before the Ommegang, a rattan and wicker giant of Saint Michael, the patron saint of the City of Brussels, was inaugurated with great ceremony on the Grand-Place in Brussels on Saturday morning, in the presence of members of the Société royale de l'Ommegang and the Brussels alderman for Civil Status and Vehicle Fleet, Jean-Baptiste De Crée. Coming from Ath, the brand-new 165-kilo colossus (or 126 kilos without the head) will precede the Ommegang procession, a display of Brussels folklore, on July 3. The giant of Saint Michael, introduced into the Ommegang event in 1935, will be carried by a single man. • Midnight swimming is all the rage at the Coast. Going swimming naked at night, preferably while tipsy, is the latest trend on the Belgian Coast. So much so that emergency services believe it is time to act. A meeting is set to take place on July 10 with the provincial governor, announced Jacques Loncque, captain of the emergency services. According to the latter, holidaymakers who cause significant rescue costs through their irresponsible behaviour could end up having to foot the bill themselves. • More than 2,000 people took part in the Rollers Parade held on Friday from 8 p.m. to midnight in the streets of the capital. No incidents were reported, indicates Christian De Coninck, spokesperson for the Brussels Capital Ixelles police zone. The Brussels Parade made a loop in Brussels starting from the Carrefour des Attelages located in the Bois de la Cambre. Police recorded 6 minor injuries resulting from falls, who were treated on site by Red Cross services. "Fifteen roller-cops accompanied the participants throughout the event. They were escorted by fifteen other police officers travelling by bicycle, moped, or by motorcycle and car," adds Christian De Coninck.