The Hesbaye Historic Festival will return to the grounds of Kasteel van Veulen in Belgium on August 22–23, bringing together historic competition, traditional restoration skills and what organisers expect to be around 2500 classic vehicles.
Spread across a sprawling estate near Heers, the event makes use of the castle grounds, surrounding woodland and roads through the Hesbaye region. Rather than concentrating on a single concours lawn, its programme ranges from pre-war racing and rally demonstrations to vintage motorcycles, off-road driving, live workshops and touring events.
The festival is a relatively recent addition to the European historic calendar. Its 2025 edition attracted around 700 vehicles and 2500 visitors, combining static displays with opportunities to see older machinery in operation. The organisers are planning a substantially larger gathering for 2026, with eligible classics again displayed within the estate rather than separated in an external public car park.
Competitive appearance is represented by the Concours Sympathique, an informal variation on the traditional concours d’élégance. Cars are selected for display, but visitors help determine the audience award.
At the more energetic end of the programme, pre-1931 racing cars will run on a grass oval and sprint course. Historic rally cars will use a closed demonstration stage throughout the weekend, while passenger rides with participating drivers will raise money for local charities.
The new Rally Revival tour will begin before the festival opens to the public on Saturday. Entrants assemble at the castle from 8:30am before tackling two road sections of approximately 50km and 90km, following tulip roadbooks through routes associated with South Limburg and Hesbaye rallying.
The tour is intended for rally replicas and lookalikes rather than solely original competition cars. There will be no timing or deliberately difficult navigation, although each car will make two appearances on the closed rally stage. The first participant is scheduled to leave at 10:00am, with stage runs at 1:30pm and 5:00pm.
Two-wheeled machinery forms another significant part of the weekend. Vintage enduro and motocross motorcycles will run through the woodland course, while pre-war bikes compete on a retro flat track.
Period 4x4s will also take to the estate through passenger experiences and a roadbook-led Heritage 4×4 Tour. The restoration trade will be represented through live demonstrations and practical workshops. Specialists will show processes used to preserve and repair historic vehicles, allowing visitors to see the craft behind completed cars rather than simply their finished bodywork.
Both days run from 10:00am until 6:00pm. Visitors arriving in a car more than 30 years old can park within the classic display, while motorcycles built in 1996 or earlier have a dedicated riders’ paddock. The weekend will also include live music, an exhibitor area and a 1960s-themed food and picnic village. More details on the Hesbaye Historic Festival can be found here.
