When I just started at Manamana, the team was already working on the campaign for the Gentse Feesten 2025. Quite special for an Antwerp agency to win this pitch for a Ghent city festival. The creative concept “9000 Op Z’n Kop” was already established, but the execution had yet to start. So I arrived just in time to experience everything behind the scenes.

The starting point of the campaign is as simple as it is powerful: when it's the Gentse Feesten, the city is literally and figuratively upside down. Everyone in Ghent says it like this: “that's when everything is upside down”. From this popular expression, the idea of turning the images - or at least, to put the typography upside down, while the images are cleverly photographed as if they were upside down - started. This creates a playful confusion: what is really rotated and what is not?

The campaign was deliberately built to be inclusive: young and old, queer and straight, with or without disabilities - all were literally portrayed as revelers in action, with striking, colorful styling and an authentic look.

The photography style is raw, playful and “in the moment,” with bright flashes, unexpected angles and genuine connection to whoever is in the picture. The whole thing exudes fun, energy and diversity, exactly what the Gentse Feesten stand for.

How and why I approached this project

Together with Lisa (Art Director), I was allowed to participate in a preparatory meeting with City of Ghent, the photographer and the production. There we discussed the locations, characters and the kind of shots we wanted to capture. It immediately gave me a good insight into the importance of preparation and cooperation between different parties.

The shoot itself took place at different locations in Ghent, including the depot of De Lijn. For me, this was the second shoot I had the opportunity to experience. It was an intensive day. Started early, ended late, but also very instructive.

What made this shoot extra valuable was that for the first time I had the feeling of being really included in the team. I felt welcome, could ask questions to the photographer and production members, and learned a lot from their experience. I also got to figure in the background, which made for a fun look behind the lens.