More than 50,000 flock to Grand Place for annual beer festival

The 18th edition of the Belgian Beer Weekend attracted more than 50,000 beer lovers to the Grand Place between Friday and Sunday, reports Jean-Louis Van de Perre, president of the Belgian Brewers Federation, in La Capitale. While the turnout is less than last year's more than 60,000 visitors, Van de Perre is pleased considering the additional security measures required for this edition.

"It was a special edition, but we still have a positive feeling about it," Van de Perre told the newspaper, referring to the increased terror alert level in the city, which necessitated the creation of an extra security perimeter around the festival and led to a slightly lower turnout of foreign tourists to the event.

Groups of American 'beer geeks', normally a fixture at the festival, were especially missed this year, according to Bruzz.