The longest serving court jester from the carnival world takes a step back: “Friendship always came first for me”

The number of carnival parades or balls that Pascal Lumbeeck from Wilrijk has attended over the past 28 years cannot be counted. “But now I’m taking a step back to take care of my parents,” he says.

From Antwerp to Germany, Pascal Lumbeeck must be a household name in the carnival world. “I was a court jester for fifteen years at the associations I was affiliated with. To my knowledge, there is no other court jester in the Benelux, France and Germany who has or has carried this title for so long. I come across many court jesters and have asked them repeatedly, but none are even fifteen years old,” says Pascal.

He joined KV De Leukste Thuis in Burcht at the end of the nineties. “After three years I switched to De Prinsenkamer of Antwerp because crossing the Scheldt took too much time. I don’t have a car. I was a court jester at the Prince’s Chamber for four years. Because I wanted to join a more active association, I ended up at Karnamor in Mortsel in 2002.”

21 years of Karnamor

Pascal will have been affiliated there for 21 years by the end of this year. “I was a court jester for eleven years, in 2010 I was Prince Carnival of Mortsel and I was also a court marshal for six years. For the last five years, this has always been next to Prince Luc Van Soom because his procession through the city was postponed every time due to corona.”

To most people outside the carnival, a court jester has the meaning of a lame joker, but within a carnival association he provides the connection. “Of course, a court jester must provide pleasure. But it is also about helping each other and bringing people together. I have been in a hot air balloon as a prince and I was allowed to kick off the Waasland-Beveren – OH Leuven football match, but the best moments are the many friendships and the meetings. Friendship always came first. I also met wonderful people in Germany.”

Parents help

On December 9, Pascal will resign as marshal at Karnamor. “They will still see me at activities closer to home. But my parents are 81 years old and their health is starting to fail. I want to take care of them and help them.”