ERPS-KWERPS, Belgium — Dutch language commercial broadcaster Q-music recently installed a huge directional sign pointing the way to the station’s summer Beach House in Ostend.
It took the station’s crew two months of preparation to construct the huge sign, which measures 180 by 165 meters (about 590 x 541 feet).
The sign, plowed into a barley field, reads “Q-Beach House 117 km.” It is in the village of Erps-Kwerps some 3 kilometers (about 1.8 miles) away from the main runway at Brussels-National Airport in Zaventem, and it’s definitely the country’s biggest road sign.
“The idea was to surprise the listeners arriving from their holiday destinations via Brussels Airport,” said Wim Oosterlinck, program director Q-music.
“Our Beach House is located straight on from there, 117 kilometers (about 73 miles), at the Ostend seaside — follow the indicator and continue your holiday with us. Also, listeners are invited to take pictures of the sign and submit them for use on the site.”
“With Google Maps we selected the site — close to the landing strip with the correct orientation toward the Ostend beach,” said Oosterlinck. “Then we checked YouTube footage we received from people landing in Zaventem to see whether the location was actually visible from inside an airplane.”
It was farmer Jacob Verbelen who allowed Q-music to plow his field, where he harvests barley, into the roadsign for the Beach House.
The Q-music Beach House is the station’s summer residence in Ostend. A daily show originates live from there from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. throughout July and August; a live audience is on hand for the duration.
The Beach House also includes a bar and restaurant and hosts concerts on Sunday evenings.
