Overflow crowd of 14,000 gathers in Brussels for Festival of Hope
Brussels, 29 September 2025 – More than 14,100 people filled ING Arena on Saturday during the Festival of Hope. The free event with live music and a message from Franklin Graham was organised by 620 Belgian evangelical churches in collaboration with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA).
Hours before the event began at 6:00 p.m., people started lining up outside ING Arena, and as soon as the doors opened, people began pouring in. The crowd was a mix of Christians and unbelievers—some of whom had never been to church before—but they came to hear a message of hope. The arena was packed with people who came on a fleet of nearly 150 buses from every province in Belgium.
The Festival of Hope featured live music from award-winning Christian artists Charity Gayle and The Afters. A mother from Antwerp, Evelyn Wireko, began crying during one of the songs. Through tears, she looked out at the crowd and said, “I didn’t know there were so many believers in Belgium. The church has been so divided but God has brought us together.”
Thousands seated in overflow
There were enough seats for 8,965 people at the ING Arena, and after each one was taken, another 5,000 people were seated in two overflow areas next to the venue where the event was live-streamed on big screens.
“It’s a miracle in itself to have such large numbers of people showing up for something like this and to have Dutch and French churches working and collaborating together—it is completely unexpected,” said David Vandeput, president of the Belgian Federal Synod of evangelical and Protestant churches.“It’s a sign that God is on the move and something real is happening. This is a milestone that will be remembered by the evangelical church in Belgium, but it’s not about religion. It’s not about evangelicals. It’s about Jesus Christ! This is just the start—it’s the launching point—I believe there is much more to come.”
Inspiring message from Franklin Graham
Franklin Graham, the American evangelist, came to Brussels at the request of the Belgian churches. In 1975, more than 100,000 people heard his father Billy Graham preach in Brussels during a nine-day event. On Saturday, just like his father once did, Franklin Graham preached a powerful message from the Bible for the people of Belgium.
“As I’ve walked through this city, I’ve been impressed with the number of young people who are here. People are here from everywhere—it’s a melting pot,” Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, told the crowd. “Tonight, I want you to know that God loves you and that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, from heaven to this earth to take your sins. This is why Jesus Christ came. He didn’t come to condemn us, He came to save us. Jesus Christ came for all, but you’ve got to come to Him in faith.”
Life-changing hope
Following the message, Franklin Graham invited those in attendance to put their faith in Jesus Christ. Large crowds came forward, especially many young people. One of them— 23-year-old Maria—had travelled to Brussels from Ghent. She had been to church many times before but said she didn’t have a personal relationship with God.
“I had thought in my head that He will not forgive me at all because of my sin.” With tears streaming down her face on Saturday night, Maria said she finally found the reassurance and hope that she had been looking for, “I want people to see that God is in me.”
The Belgian churches that organized the Festival of Hope are coming alongside Maria in her new faith in Christ, and they are also following up with the hundreds of other people who made decisions on Saturday.
ABOUT FRANKLIN GRAHAM
Franklin Graham has proclaimed the Good News of Jesus Christ around the world since 1989, holding 345 evangelistic events in over 55 countries and territories. He has a heart for Europe where he has preached at 32 events in 19 countries over the past 25 years.
Earlier this year, Franklin Graham shared the hope of Jesus Christ in London, England, and in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In the coming months, he is looking forward to preaching in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Nagaland, India; Siem Reap, Cambodia; Lima, Peru; and Madrid, Spain. Graham also convened the European Congress on Evangelism in May, which brought more than 1,000 Christian leaders from 55 countries in Europe to Berlin, Germany. While he was in Berlin, Graham met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to pray for peace.
In addition to serving as president and CEO of BGEA, Franklin Graham also leads Samaritan’s Purse, which works in more than 100 countries and territories, including Gaza and Ukraine. In Ukraine, the international Christian disaster relief organization has helped more than 14.5 million people by providing 126,000 tonnes of food as well as nearly 1,000 tonnes of emergency relief supplies on 43 airlifts. Samaritan’s Purse also operated five field hospitals and five medical clinics in the war-torn country, treating tens of thousands of patients.
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