In 2025, we celebrate the special anniversary of Camping Houtum, which will be blowing out 50 candles this year.
What began modestly in 1975, from the Van Eyck family’s home, has since grown into a trusted place where generations of campers have come to feel at home. And the wonderful thing is: today, the third generation of the Van Eyck family is already at the helm.
For us, Camping Houtum has always been more than just a campsite. It’s a meeting place where families – including our own – come together time and again. A place where memories are made and traditions are born. For our guests, it feels like coming home, and for our team, it often doesn’t even feel like work. That’s the strength and the beauty of Houtum.
Because 50 years of Camping Houtum is something we can all be proud of!
That’s why we want to make this anniversary year unforgettable for all our campers. Throughout the year, we’ll be celebrating — in big and small ways. You can discover it all right here on this page.
A year-long celebration
How do you show new campers that they’re staying at a campsite that’s blowing out 50 candles? That’s exactly what we asked ourselves too! For the kids, we had three flag coloring pages designed. They could hand in their artwork here and help us decorate our buildings with colorful garlands. It was wonderful to see how excited they were – within just a few hours, the walls were covered with cheerful drawings. A big thank you to every little artist for helping us celebrate!
Photo wall — from then to now
In Café de Congé, we created a photo wall filled with pictures from the past to the present. Luckily, we still had the old slides, so we were able to reproduce them in good quality. It’s wonderful to see the kinds of activities that were organized back then by the Vriendenkring (Friends’ Club). Even before television became common, campers would gather here to spend their weekends together in the Antwerp Kempen.
Photo book
Besides photos, we’ve also made the news quite a few times over the past 50 years. We gathered all those articles into a photo book, complemented by fun pictures through the years and stories from our own campers. A book full of memories that will last – a tangible look back at half a century of Houtum.
Win a gift voucher
What’s a celebration without gifts? During the anniversary season, campers received a card upon check-in, which they could hand in at the reception. Every month, we drew a lucky winner in a fun and original way — because simply picking someone at random, that’s not how we do things!
50 years captured in one photo book
Especially for this anniversary, we dove into the archives and pulled old slides off the shelves to map out our history a bit better. In fifty years, technology has changed tremendously, and it was about time to digitize everything.
A great idea — it just took an incredible amount of time — but now that it’s done, we’ll be able to enjoy it for many years to come.
What’s more, when the campsite turns sixty, we’ll be able to build on the foundation we’ve laid this year.
As you may have read above, we’ve created a photo book.
We received many requests from campers asking if they could take a look — and of course, they can!
Via the blue button below, you can download the photo book and browse through it at your own pace.
Prefer the short version? We’ve made a video too — enjoy!
50 years of Camping Houtum: Our campers speak
From the many warm, funny, and moving stories that surfaced from our anniversary survey, we selected a series of blog articles where our campers truly get to speak. They share their memories of checking in with “Moe Marie” for the very first time, talk about their favorite spots, offer valuable tips, and recall the wonderful friendships that were formed here at Houtum.
In the articles below, you can discover their stories. This way, our guests’ voices are given a stage — and together, we continue to carry on the story of Camping Houtum.
50-year campers at Camping Houtum
A piece of land, a main building, a few facilities, and some sanitary blocks — that’s really all you need to start a campsite. But the most important thing, of course, are the campers who come to stay with you. And that’s exactly the part you can’t control as a team: people have to find you — and hopefully, they’ll come back with joy.
In Kasterlee, we’re lucky in that regard. In 2024, we had the pleasure of congratulating our first couple, Jacques and Annie, on their 50th anniversary as guests at Camping Houtum. Incredible but true — and we’re immensely proud that they’ve been staying with us faithfully for half a century.
And it doesn’t stop there. In 2025, we’ll also be celebrating Cois and Ria for their 50 years as regular guests — and in the coming years, more couples will follow. For us, that’s a true honor.
A big thank you to all our campers for the trust you’ve placed in us and in the Van Eyck family over all these years.
Without you, Camping Houtum would never have become the warm and welcoming place it is today.
July 21, 2025
Een rondleiding door 50 jaar
In the video next to this, we take you on a special tour around the campsite, with stories and insights into the rich history of fifty years of Houtum. Discover how the campsite has grown and changed over the years, while always keeping its warm, family atmosphere.
Discover how the campsite grew and evolved over the years, while managing to keep its warm, family atmosphere.
After a day full of memories and reunions, Vic took the floor to close the anniversary celebration on a beautiful note. With gratitude and a smile, he paid tribute to our campers, families, and friends — the people who have formed the heart of Camping Houtum for decades.
This video is the finale of our anniversary day — a warm tribute to everyone who is part of our camping family.
Houtum Gadgets
When you throw a party, of course there has to be a treat! For our anniversary, we decided to create our own Houtum gadgets: small, original souvenirs all inspired by the camping life at Camping Houtum. We were lucky, because our bartender Vincent isn’t just great at setting the mood — he’s also incredibly creative. With his own engraving machine, he designed and engraved all the gadgets himself — each one made with attention to detail and a touch of Houtum charm.
During lunch at Domein De Putten, Vic and Martiena went from table to table to personally hand each camper a raffle number.
That number matched a gadget, allowing every guest to choose their own little treat.
During the evening party at Café de Congé, we handed out plenty more gadgets. It was wonderful to see how excited everyone was! All 600 gifts found a happy owner — a lovely keepsake from an unforgettable day.
Interviews
Especially for our anniversary year, our intern Alexis interviewed four long-time team members who have helped shape the face of Camping Houtum for many years. In these conversations, Vic, Martiena, Hedwige and Victor share their passion, memories, and favorite moments at the campsite. Together, they look back on many years filled with hospitality, coziness, and warm Houtum stories.
Vic
Martiena
Hedwige
Victor
Here’s to the next 50 years!
We look back with pride on half a century of Camping Houtum — and with just as much excitement, we look ahead. Thank you to everyone who’s been part of our camping family, past and present. Together, we’ll keep building many more years filled with friendship, joy, and unforgettable memories.
