It started with a party in 2024. To celebrate twenty years of Naragonia, 30CC Stadsschouwburg in Leuven was packed to the rafters. After that, the band went further than ever: horns on top, a rhythm section underneath, and suddenly Naragonia sounded bigger, fuller and wilder than anyone had expected. And so the party line-up grew into a new programme: The Ship of Fools.
The group took its name from an old tale: in the late Middle Ages, ships of fools sailed to Naragonia, the imaginary land of fools, carrying those who would not toe the line, felt too much or thought too differently. Five centuries on, that image is not so far away. The Ship of Fools tells it with the gentleness of a song. Who is really the fool here: those on board, or those who stay on the quay watching?
The music sways between quiet songs of longing and displacement and music full of resilience and dance. In 2024 Naragonia won Best Live Band at the Flanders Folk Awards.
Two forms
Festivals, summer 2027 and 2028 — A tight set with plenty of groove: the ship of fools becomes a dance floor under the open sky.
Cultural centres, seasons 2027–2028 and 2028–2029 — A storytelling and music performance, with Toon Van Mierlo as narrator. The stories behind the songs are given room, but the music remains the main course.
A production by Merodefestival and Naragonia, with support from the Flemish Government, arts & heritage, and Brosella.
Watch and listen
Au fond de la mer
Boxing in Bristol