Murder of OCMW employee Erik, a Ghent Festivities stunt and striking bicycle thieves: these are the craziest stories of 2025 from Ghent

The story of 2025 was undoubtedly the murder of OCMW employee Erik Boone. He was murdered by a client, and the shock wave that followed was felt far beyond Ghent. His parents testified about the loss at the beginning of this month, and hope that their son’s death was not in vain.

Two young people also died tragically in a serious traffic accident on Vlaamsekaai: artist Louise Delange (31) and a 23-year-old motorcyclist.

Although fortunately many beautiful things happened in Ghent. For example, both Zwangere Guy and Charlotte de Witte played a set at the city hall for thousands of vans. The techno queen did that trick again during the Ghent Festivities, with a surprise performance at the Vlasmarkt. However, this stunt was less appreciated by the security services, who themselves fell from the sky.

(Temporarily) out

Apart from that, it was an eventful year in City Hall. Mayor Mathias De Clercq (For Ghent) was allowed to start his second term of office, but immediately had to tighten his belt. After tough negotiations, an agreement was reached on a huge cost-cutting operation, after which months of protests followed and De Clercq himself was out for a long time.

It’s finally over for the South Shopping Center. It closed its doors this summer after 30 years. A tough one for Jeanine and other regular customers. Manager Hera Genbrugge looks back on the closure with a smile and a tear.

Finally, in the ‘remarkable’ category: the absurd images of the crowded escalator in the Sint-Pieters station that went around the world. And the story of two unfortunate bicycle thieves, who did not get far with their loot.