Oostende Honors James Joyce 100 Years After His 1926 Visit
The Belgian coastal city of Oostende is celebrating the centenary of James Joyce’s five-week summer holiday with a vibrant program of cultural events, marking both the 5th edition of Bloomsday in the city and the first to commemorate the Irish literary giant’s personal connection to the seaside resort.
On June 16, 2026 — Bloomsday, the annual global celebration of Joyce’s masterpiece Ulysses — Oostende is hosting a festive parade from the train station to the Grote Post cultural center, a gala literary evening, and a photo exhibition, all honoring the writer who called Oostende “by far the best place we have been in for a summer holiday,” as VRT NWS reports.
A Literary Holiday by the Sea
In the summer of 1926, James Joyce arrived in Oostende with his wife Nora Barnacle and daughter Lucia, later joined by his son Giorgio. The family initially stayed at the Littoral Palace Hotel before moving to the luxurious Hotel de l’Ocean on the seafront. During his five-week stay, Joyce was working on what he called “Work in Progress” — the manuscript that would eventually be published in 1939 as Finnegans Wake.
According to Xavier Tricot, art historian and author of James Joyce in Ostend, Joyce also corresponded with his German translator Georg Goyert about the translation of Ulysses and met a fellow Irishman, Patrick Hoey, who worked at the Pharmacie Anglaise in Oostende and had attended a farewell supper for Joyce before he left for Paris in 1902.
Joyce was particularly charmed by the hotel porter at the Hotel de l’Ocean, who answered the phone saying “Ici le portier de l’Ocean” (Here, the porter of the ocean). The anecdote so delighted Joyce that it inspired the name “Portiers van de Oceaan” (Porters of the Ocean) for the local Joyce committee that now organizes the Bloomsday celebrations, as detailed on the EXIL vzw program page.
Bloomsday 2026: A Centenary Celebration
The 2026 celebrations, organized by the Portiers van de Oceaan and vzw Exil with support from the City of Oostende and the Irish Embassy, run from May through June. A photo exhibition titled “Bloem in Oostende” by photographer Jef Van Eynde opened on May 6 at the Nieuwe Gaanderijen on the Koning Boudewijnpromenade and runs through July 1.
On June 12, the literary walking guide “Bloem in Oostende / 26 literaire wandelingen” was presented at the Bibliotheek Oostende. Curated by Belgian writer Koen Peeters, the guide features contributions from 26 contemporary Dutch-language writers, each offering a literary walk through the city inspired by Joyce’s connection to Oostende. As the DW B magazine notes, the guide “is above all an invitation to go walking in Ostend yourself.”
The main Bloomsday event on June 16 features a festive parade departing from Oostende station in the afternoon, with lookalikes of Joyce and his family, the fanfare Melody Makers, and a welcome by the mayor and the Irish ambassador. The procession winds through the city with readings from Ulysses before culminating at the Grote Post.
In the evening, the gala “De Grote Joyce in O” takes place at De Grote Post, hosted by Kurt Van Eeghem with an opening lecture by Joyce scholar Geert Lernout. Writers including Hans Depelchin, Heleen Debruyne, Ignaas Devisch, and two-time Libris Prize winner Rob van Essen will read original fiction inspired by Oostende. Soprano Elise Caluwaerts will perform Benjamin Britten’s song cycle Illuminations, as listed on the Visit Oostende event page.
A Growing Tradition
Bloomsday has been celebrated in Oostende since 2022, when the first edition was organized by the Portiers van de Oceaan. The event has grown steadily, with each year exploring a different theme — from “James Joyce and the Sea” in 2023 to “Family Joyce Stays in Oostende” in 2024. The 2026 edition marks a milestone, being both the fifth anniversary of Bloomsday in the city and the centenary of Joyce’s actual visit.
Koen Peeters, curator of the “Bloem in Oostende” project, captures the spirit of the celebration: “Even though writing and reading are solitary activities, they also have the power to bring people together.” The Stad Oostende official announcement emphasizes that the events are designed to be accessible to both Joyce enthusiasts and newcomers alike.
Joyce’s Enduring Legacy in Belgium
Joyce’s connection to Belgium extended beyond his Oostende holiday. A polyglot and lover of wordplay, Joyce was fascinated by the name “Ostend” itself — in Latin, ostende is the imperative form of “to show,” and he used the form ostenditur in Finnegans Wake. He also coined the neologism “ostscent” in the same work, which scholars believe references both Oostende and the famous summer thunderstorm of August 16, 1926.
During his stay, Joyce noted down Flemish words and expressions in a notebook, later transcribed by his daughter Lucia — a testament to his lifelong fascination with language and his engagement with the local culture during his Belgian sojourn.
What to Watch For
The centenary celebrations highlight how literary tourism can strengthen international cultural ties and bring attention to smaller European cities. With official support from the City of Oostende and the Irish Embassy, and a growing community of writers, scholars, and enthusiasts, the Bloomsday tradition in Oostende appears poised to continue growing in the years ahead. The literary walking guide “Bloem in Oostende” remains available for those who wish to explore the city through Joyce’s eyes — and perhaps become a Porter of the Ocean themselves.