BRUSSELS, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Manneken Pis, Brussels' iconic bronze statue and one of Belgium's most recognizable symbols, donned a Belgian fry-shop operator's outfit on Saturday as part of celebrations marking the International Day of Belgian Fries.
The festivities began with a ceremony at Brussels City Hall, followed by a procession led by a brass band. Fry-shop operators, members of the Order of the Friends of Manneken Pis, political representatives and invited guests crossed the Grand-Place before proceeding to the nearby statue.
Dozens of onlookers gathered around the fountain as tourists paused to watch the unveiling. The all-white costume featured a traditional hat and sleeves embroidered with the words "ketchup" and "mayo." During the ceremony, Manneken Pis was also awarded the medal of the Ordre National du Cornet d'Or, which was pinned to the outfit.
Bernard Lefevre, national president of NAVEFRI-UNAFRI, Belgium's national union of fry-shop operators, told Xinhua at the ceremony that the costume is the first in Manneken Pis' extensive wardrobe to pay tribute to a frituriste, or Belgian fry-shop operator.
"The challenge was that there is no official uniform for the profession," Lefevre told Xinhua. "Every fry shop is different. It is not a franchise or a chain. Fry-shop operators are highly independent."
The new costume joins the statue's collection of more than 1,000 outfits, many of which have been designed to commemorate professions, cultural traditions and international events.
In recent years, the International Day of Belgian Fries has gained visibility largely through social media, with the occasion previously marked mainly through online posts and small-scale promotional activities. This year's ceremony brought it into a more visible public setting. Despite the growing attention, no founding document or official decision establishing the occasion has so far been identified.
"We do not know who invented this date," Lefevre said. But in his view, that uncertainty is also part of the character of Belgian fritkot culture, which has long been embedded in community life.
"It is part of the charm of fritkot culture that it belongs to everyone," he said. "We are all ambassadors of this culture."
The costume project was proposed by Frietmuseum Brussels, which opened near Manneken Pis in 2025. Mike Mission, the museum's site manager, said the idea was inspired by a chocolatier costume previously created for the statue. After confirming that Manneken Pis did not yet have an outfit representing a fry-shop operator, the museum submitted a proposal to the City of Brussels, which approved the project.
Mission said the costume ceremony attracted fry-shop operators from across the country and reflected growing recognition of the role fries play in Belgian identity.
"There is hardly a Belgian who would not talk to you about fries, beer or chocolate, because they are truly integrated into our national culture," he said.
Among the spectators, reactions ranged from surprise to pride. One visitor said she had never heard of Belgian Fries Day before attending the event.
"I only found out about it today," she said. "I didn't realize fries were such a big part of Belgian culture."
A couple who recently moved to Belgium from Britain offered a lighter perspective. Having known little about the long-running debate surrounding the origins of fries before the ceremony, they joked that, from now on, fries would "always be Belgian" to them. Another spectator said fries had been part of her life since childhood and that she had come specifically to watch Manneken Pis change into his new outfit.
Although the International Day of Belgian Fries has no official status, organizers hope the event will become a recurring fixture on Brussels' cultural calendar. Mission said Manneken Pis is already scheduled to wear the fry-shop operator costume again on Aug. 1 in both 2027 and 2028.
The growing visibility of the celebration is rooted in a much older tradition. Belgian fritkot culture has been recognized as intangible cultural heritage by the country's regions and language communities, reflecting the importance of neighborhood fry shops and the social customs that surround them. While the tradition has not been nominated for UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, it remains deeply embedded in everyday Belgian life.
The recognition extends beyond the preparation of fries themselves. It encompasses the fritkots, their operators, their customers, and the community interactions that have developed around them over generations.
Belgian fries are typically cut into thick strips and fried twice, first at a lower temperature to cook them through, then at a higher temperature to create a crisp exterior while maintaining a soft interior. They are commonly served in paper cones or trays alongside a wide variety of sauces.
Traditional fritkots continue to attract customers across generations. Lefevre said his clientele ranges "from seven to 77 years old," reflecting the enduring appeal of the Belgian staple.
He added that younger customers remain strongly attached to fritkot culture because it offers both familiarity and comfort without appearing old-fashioned. At the same time, tastes continue to evolve. While older generations often favor classic accompaniments such as mayonnaise or piccalilli, younger customers are increasingly drawn to sauces such as toum, banzai and samurai.
This neighborhood tradition is also connected to a major international industry. Belgium processes millions of tonnes of potatoes annually and ranks among the world's leading producers and exporters of frozen potato products.
Manneken Pis's joining the celebration in the fry-shop operator costume marks another step in efforts to promote the International Day of Belgian Fries and the culture it represents. As the celebrations attract growing public attention, organizers believe Aug. 1 could become an increasingly established date on Belgium's cultural calendar.
