Welcome to the website of the "Koninklijke Fanfare Kempenbloei" Achel
Who we are
The Koninklijke Fanfare Kempenbloei is a traditonal Belgian style "fanfare band" from Achel, a small town with 5000 inhabitants near
the Dutch border in the North-East of Flanders (the Dutch speaking part of Belgium). Besides Kempenbloei, Achel is mainly known for the Achelse Kluis abbey, where Trappist beer is made by the monks.
The band was originally founded in 1862. Besides the fanfare band, the society also consists of a a drum band or "percussion
ensemble", a twirling group (called 'The Starlights'), a youth fanfare band
and a youth drum band. In total, Kempenbloei has about 250 members, from Achel or from the surrounding
region.
One of the most important things for the band is to support the social
life in the village. The band performs at different village festivities, like the village fair,
the celebration of Armistice Day, golden wedding anniversaries
and the yearly Saint Anthony procession. Kempenbloei also organises several concerts in the village each year including
a church concert on Saint Caecilia's day and
a youth concert.
Another important mission for Kempenbloei is to promote amateur music to the outside world. This is achieved by regular
concerts and performances all over Belgium and the Netherlands. All divisions of Kempenbloei also regularly participate in regional,
national and international contests, and strive for the highest possible level in these contests. Both the fanfare band and the percussion
ensemble are ranked in the Superior section, the highest section in
Belgium. On several occasions in the past, both have won National Championship titles as well as titles at the World Music Contest in Kerkrade (NL). Also the youth bands have gained big successes at contests and festivals in Belgium and abroad.
The name of our band explained
The first part, 'koninklijke' is Dutch for 'royal'. In Belgium, all bands that exist for 50 years or more get the right to call themselves a 'royal' society. This right is aknowledged by an official certificate that is issued by the king's office. The 'koninklijke' title was awarded to Kempenbloei in the year 1927.
The name "Kempenbloei", refers to the geographical region that Achel belongs to. This region is known as "De Kempen" in Dutch. In English, the regionis is referred to as the "The Campine", derived from the French "La Campine". Typical for this region are its large areas of heath ("heide" in Dutch), which can be very beautiful when the heath is in bloom ("bloei" in Dutch).
But the name 'Kempenbloei' does not only refer to the blooming of the heath. It also relates to the village and its people. When the fanfare band was founded in 1862, it was considered a symbol of a prosperous, 'blooming' Kempen village.
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