People attend Mulletfest in Kurri Kurri, New South Wales, Australia on February 23. Photo: IC

Belgium is all business at the front, in the very serious EU capital Brussels, but it's all party at the back, in the little western town of Boussu.

Here, outside a brewery, hundreds of nostalgics and merry-makers gathered on Saturday to celebrate the mullet, the iconic 1980s hairdo. 

For some it was a throwback to a simpler time, for others an anti-fashion statement or simply a bit of a laugh - for folklore specialists it celebrates dewanne, tomfoolery in the Borinage dialect.

"This cut is a state of mind, a declaration of independence. It carries symbolic weight as an affirmation of self," organizer Damien Hubert told AFP.

"To be honest, I'm not sure that many people ever found the cut very attractive. We're not kidding ourselves about that," he admitted.

Laid-back outback Australia has hosted mullet festivals in the past, but organizers think that Boussu's - which they hoped would attract around 1,500 people - is a first in Europe. 

Many of those who turned out on Saturday for a beer and a bold trim were 30- and 40-somethings nostalgic for the age of rocker Rod Stewart, or the US adventure series MacGyver, in which the lead character sports a mullet.

"When I was little, I was in love with MacGyver, this is like a return to my childhood," said 31-year-old Marie Vandeville as she went under the razor. "I'll only leave it a few days, afterwards we'll even it up."