Brussels experienced a colorful weekend with its Comic Strip Festival "Fête de la BD." The 8th Balloon's Day Parade, held on this occasion, moved along the main streets of the Belgium's capital for an hour and a half.
According to organizers, the event welcomed 90,000 comic fans who came to meet hundreds of authors and publishers and to watch the cartoon figures come together.
The balloons' inflation began at around 10 am at the Place des Palais. Visitors could watch Le Chat, a cat who has been a hero of a Belgian daily comic strip since the 80s, "dancing" to famous tunes.
A number of the world-famous cartoon characters that originated in Belgium could be seen hanging out together: Tintin, who was one of the most popular European comic book heroes of the 20th century, along with the Smurfs.
Tintin's giant balloon was featured at the event, followed by Spirou, his rival from another comic strip series.
Star Wars also took part in the Balloon's Day Parade: the loveable BB8 droid and Darth Vader with his battalion of storm troopers attended the event.
The route came to an end on the Boulevard Lemonnier, where all the huge characters were deflated until the next year's show.