Over 8000 participants lined up at the starting point.
There were only 800 little tokens hidden in the ground. Off to the side, families and friends cheered people on while waving flags and holding beers. The farmer’s field would soon go from a field of green, to a pock-marked battle field.
This huge annual event started in Wallonia village of Wépion, near Namur, Belgians. And while women might be racing by the thousands now, the first event only had a few hundred and the founding Belgian sex-toy company Soft Love lost a ton of money on the crazy marketing campaign.
After the failed celebration, Nicolas Bustin (boss of Soft Love) decided there needed to be more – more things other than free sexy toys. Free sexy education, STI awareness, non-profits, and other information were brought to the table as well as more mini-events and games.
“Zumba sessions, body positivity workshops, beer and frites, but they were also welcome to watch pole dancing classes and gawk at the male strippers.”
Things started to pick up and finally people from all of the world decided that the “Chasse aux Sextoys” was a must-see event. They event went as far as to sign a petition one year when they ran into financial troubles.
The result?
Big sponsors came in and saved the day.
Now, and surprising to most, it’s a family event.
Over 10,000 people come to spend time with friends and have a fun day out. It’s a body-positive and sex-positive space that even has parents cheering when their kids try to beat the bucking-bronco-penis ride.
The main attraction, however, is the iconic sex toy scavenger hunt. 800 little boxes with tokens inside are buried around the enormous field. Women like up at the start and then run out to dig like mad. Prizes range from anything as small a lube to things like Duckie vibrators.
Why ducks?
Apparently in Belgium, this design is their iconic sex toy – just like the rabbit vibrator is famous in the States because of Sex and the City.
They have also opened up the race to a limited number of men (as long as they dress the part). They also have their own area so male sex toys are better distributed to those who want them.
As every year passes, this festival grows larger – to the point they need firetrucks to hose down visitors when they run out of water, companies need to book slots well ahead of time, and the little town is overwhelmed with tourism and the corresponding cashflow.
So, if you’re looking for an unique Easter egg hunt … get your butt to Belgium.
Anyone here been to this event? Share you experiences in the comments!
