The BSG’s base in Etterbeek on this weekday in mid-October is somewhat cluttered. Empty beer cans, rumpled seat cushions, wrappers on the floor: student life as it sometimes is. “Sorry about the mess. We had a party yesterday and haven’t had time to clear up,” says Luypaert.

The symbolism of the procession is very important for us


We are in an office where the chair and vice-chair of the BSG – both from West Flanders – are talking about the preparations for the Saint-Vé procession. “The symbolism of the procession is very important for us students: we march from the Zavel, in the higher part of Brussels, which represents the rich. From there we go to the Beurs, in the lower town, where the regular people live. That is traditionally the thinking behind the parade.”
 
Students in the city
Moeykens, who is organising the event for the first time as BSG vice-chair: “I like the fact we march into the city, singing and celebrating. Students enjoying themselves in the city: that’s what it’s about. Brussels perhaps doesn’t have a reputation as a student city, particularly not among outsiders, but in reality it’s the biggest student city in the country. There is so much to experience, if you take the trouble to get to know the inner city. We encourage the other students to do that as much as possible. It’s too easy to stay here on campus. Everything is available here, but the city is still something special.”


Saint-Vé lives among the students, everybody has an opinion about it”


Every year the student organisations of VUB and ULB choose a theme for the Saint-Vé procession. This year the theme is today’s politics. The mascot is a well-fed pig directing a poor wretch to the right. The text reads: “Emergency? Turn right”. The message is clear.  Moeykens: “It refers to society’s tendency to turn to the right in times of political crisis, economic crisis, refugee crisis. And we look to the right-wing parties that are emerging in France and Poland, to Brexit and Trump. It’s a very current topic, especially because the American elections will have taken place nine days before the procession. At the same time, Brexit is taking shape. It’s all coming at the same time. In retrospect, it seems obvious that we would choose it, but we really had other ideas. There are lots of problems in the world, and lots of things that annoy us. That’s what guides us in choosing a theme. But it depends on current events. We try to choose something each year that is particular for that year. This event really shows that Saint-Vé lives among the students. Everybody has an opinion about it.”


We had already decided ourselves not to use trucks any more.


Protesting authority
The logo for the commemorative medal this year was designed by an anonymous artist. Luypaert: “The student organisations hold a competition each year, in which we explain the theme. Candidates submit a proposal on that basis. They can apply with or without giving their name. We have changed the submission a little, but not much. It’s a reasonable political theme, more than in some other years. But that is also Saint-Vé – humorous, but also politically loaded. You can see it too on the banners that the separate student organisations make. They take politicians to task, without pulling any punches. That is the origin of the procession: a protest against authority.”
 
For the first time in almost 20 years, the banners will not be carried to the Zavel on floats. A little piece of folklore has gone, according to some, but the BSG sees it differently. The change is in part the consequence of stricter security conditions put in place by the city and the police. “If we drove through the city in lorries, we would have to stop seven times to share out beer. But if we stay in one place, we have to have security personnel. It’s a consequence of the level three terror threat. That makes it harder, and expensive. But we had already decided ourselves not to use trucks any more. We found in previous years that it’s much more fun to walk round. By using floats, people stay in their groups, so there is less atmosphere.”

 
Tons of (former) students
Instead of floats parading through the city, this year the procession will go from the Zavel to the Beurs. The band will stay at the Zavel – a novelty that will add to the atmosphere, the two students say: “We’ll show that the city really is ours.” Traditionally, 6,000 to 8,000 students turn up for the Saint-Vé procession. If it takes place on a Friday, then around 1,000 former students also come, Luypaert says. “If they’re not working the next day, they can throw themselves completely into student life. That helps the atmosphere, of course. For us it’s great to see how the event and the university live on among so many alumni.” Moeykens: “Every year at ULB, an old woman joins in. She is eighty-four, wears a battered old student hat, and she’s always there. She’s taking part in her sixtieth Saint-Vé. And yes, she still drinks half-litres of beer!”

 
For the BSG, Saint-Vé is one of the most important events of the year. “We make good use of ULB’s main hall, where during the academic year there are events five days a week. Alongside that we organise an opening party and other events. And at the end of the year we have a huge party, with about 2,500 students. But Saint-Vé is the high point of the year. It’s a shame that some outsiders see it as a marginal celebration, because it’s so much more than that. I hope we can get this message across.”

 
Joerie Luypaert

  • Chair of BSG
  • Age 24
  • Five years as a student, three with BSG
  • Follows a bridging programme in business management
  • Best thing about VUB? The compact, green campus and the cafes and events in the city

 
Arnaud Moeykens

  • Vice-chair of BSG
  • Age 21                                                                                                                                                                  
  • Four years as a student at VUB, three with BSG
  • Studies biology
  • Best thing about VUB? The students are a close group; everybody knows everybody else