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🇧🇪 Belgium /Culture & Society

Leuven’s Steve becomes fifth generation of fairground operator at Leuven Fair

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Steve Messiaen, 34, is bringing his bumper cars back to Leuven Fair, where his parents and grandparents also worked.
  • He says becoming a fairground operator was always his goal, and his two-week-old daughter was already sitting behind the ticket counter.
  • Messiaen hopes his daughter might become the family’s sixth generation, though he says he will support her if she chooses another career.

For Steve Messiaen, Leuven Fair is more than a local event. It is the latest chapter in a family tradition that has lasted five generations.

Leuven Fair is the fair of the year for us.

· Steve MessiaenHe described the importance of the event to his family.

The 34-year-old Leuven resident is returning with his bumper cars among about 65 rides and food stalls. His parents spent years at the fair with a shooting gallery, and his brother also works as a fairground operator. Steve says he and his family look forward to Leuven Fair more than any other event because they know so many people there.

He studied automobile mechanics at a Leuven technical school, but becoming a fairground operator remained his goal. “I have been the fifth generation of fairground operator,” he says. His parents retired two years ago but still often come to help, and the family’s connection to the fairground life remains strong.

I have studied automobile mechanics because I had to study something. But the goal was always to become a fairground operator.

· Steve MessiaenMessiaen explained that the fairground profession remained his ambition.

Steve has adapted his ticket booth into a small studio with a kitchen, bathroom and sleeping space for his partner and their daughter. They can stay overnight when the workday ends late. He says the decision is mainly practical, not a response to safety concerns, because the Ladeuzeplein is generally quiet at night.

When my daughter was barely two weeks old, she was already sitting behind the cash desk. We simply know nothing else.

· Steve MessiaenHe illustrated how early his daughter became part of the family’s fairground life.

His daughter is now two and a half, and Steve says it would make him happy if she became the sixth generation, preferably working with the bumper cars. But he would also accept it if she chose a completely different profession.

It would be very nice, because it is the life’s work of our whole family. We built it up, and you hope it will continue.

· Steve MessiaenHe spoke about his hope that his daughter might continue the family tradition.
About this summary

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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