CrowdMateGhent · Venue
Handelsbeurs (Ha Concerts)
A flexible historic Ghent concert hall with a 750-person standing capacity and a jazz-led, cross-genre programme.
- Upcoming shows
- 77
- Address
- 29 Kouter, 9000 Gent
- Phone
- 09 265 91 60
- Next show
- Thu, 1 Oct 2026
About Handelsbeurs (Ha Concerts)
Handelsbeurs, performing as Ha Concerts, is Ghent’s flexible mid-sized music room: its concert hall holds 750 people standing or 380 seated. The distinguishing feature sits underfoot: movable platforms convert the room between a flat-floor setup and grandstand theatre. That gives the former trade-fair complex on Kouter a useful range, from close-up jazz and global music to amplified pop and rock sets, while retaining the scale of a single-room venue.
A trade floor becomes a stage
The site carries several layers of Ghent civic history. A guild court and shooting ground occupied the area before the 1738 Main Guard; the ballroom L’Union opened beside it in 1851. In 1899, the City of Ghent bought L’Union and commissioned architect Charles van Rysselberghe to unite it with the guardhouse as a home for the city’s trade fair. After a long period of vacancy, Noordstarfonds took a long lease in 1997 and began a renovation with owner Baloise Insurance in August 2000. The renewed Handelsbeurs opened for its first cultural season on September 27, 2002. Its rebuild supplied the central concert-room idea that still defines a visit: a hall engineered for quick shifts between standing crowds and a classic seated theatre.
The room now
Ha Concerts presents and co-produces local, Belgian and international work, placing jazz at the centre while programming pop, rock, global music, vocal projects and adventurous shows for younger listeners. The 17-by-26-metre hall has a complete professional sound and lighting system, with both auditorium and flat layouts available. A foyer bar runs alongside the concert hall, making the interval and post-show stretch part of the building’s social space. Expect a venue designed for attentive listening, yet physically equipped for a denser standing set.
Sources
- History of Ha Concerts — Ha Concerts
- Boat trip along Ghent’s heritage — Visit Gent
- Concert hall — Ha Concerts
- Mission and vision — Ha Concerts
Next 15 shows
- Thu, 1 Oct 2026 · 20:15 Nothing Bigger Than Humanity View in the CrowdMate app
- Fri, 2 Oct 2026 · 17:30 Tiny Tunes: Iqnovara View in the CrowdMate app
- Fri, 2 Oct 2026 · 20:15 Iqnovara View in the CrowdMate app
- Sat, 3 Oct 2026 · 20:15 Pieter Savenberg View in the CrowdMate app
- Sun, 4 Oct 2026 · 11:00 Foyer Matinee: Uma Chine Trio View in the CrowdMate app
- Wed, 7 Oct 2026 · 20:00 Re:Context on Leonard Cohen View in the CrowdMate app
- Sat, 10 Oct 2026 · 20:15 Sara Correia View in the CrowdMate app
- Sun, 11 Oct 2026 · 17:00 Lennert Jacobs + Adia Vanheerentals, Thijs Trochjust announced View in the CrowdMate app
- Mon, 12 Oct 2026 · 20:15 The Bones of J.R. Jones View in the CrowdMate app
- Wed, 14 Oct 2026 · 20:15 Telehiv View in the CrowdMate app
- Wed, 14 Oct 2026 · 21:00 Ha Jam Sessions View in the CrowdMate app
- Sat, 17 Oct 2026 · 20:15 Myles Sanko View in the CrowdMate app
- Sun, 18 Oct 2026 · 11:00 Foyer Matinee: Anu Junnonen & Tuur Florizoone View in the CrowdMate app
- Tue, 20 Oct 2026 · 20:15 Laniakea + Jozef Dumoulin View in the CrowdMate app
- Thu, 22 Oct 2026 · 20:15 Stef Kamil Carlens & The Poem View in the CrowdMate app
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