The Belgian coastal town of Nieuwpoort (a historic port city in West Flanders) held a packed commemorative weekend combining its traditional reenactment of the Battle of Nieuwpoort with the Heksenfeesten, a festival honouring Jeanne Panne — born Joanne De Deyster in 1593 — who was executed in 1650 after being accused of witchcraft. Some 150 reenactors and 130 extras brought the events to life across the town centre and Leopold II Park, where the 2 July 1600 clash between the forces of Maurice of Nassau and Archduke Albert of Austria was staged with soldiers, horses, and cannons — though the cannons remained silent after authorities determined that the conditions attached to the required gunpowder permits made their use practically impossible. The absence of cannon fire drew criticism from opposition politicians, while the witch trial story of Jeanne Panne, first performed in 2023, drew large crowds through a theatrical walking tour depicting her life alongside demonstrations of historic crafts.