Festivals and cultural events Bruxelles - Brussel

As part of the European Heritage Days, and renamed Heritage Days, this weekend is devoted to the remarkable buildings of the Brussels region, whether public or private. Each year, a theme is treated and places, often inaccessible to visitors in normal times, are opened. In addition to the site visits, thematic guided tours are organised, and bike rides are also becoming increasingly popular. The only drawback is that places are limited for the most popular places, so you have to book quickly!

In 1937, Queen Elizabeth, an excellent violinist, decided to create a competition to help young performers. This prestigious competition stands out from its international counterparts by its originality. Indeed, the members of the jury deliberate individually and treat the scores confidentially. Each year, a musical instrument will be honored, alternating between piano in 2021, cello in 2022, voice in 2023 and violin in 2024. Given the prestige of the competition, the winners are guaranteed an international career.

We sometimes forget that Brussels is a French-speaking enclave in a historically Flemish land and the capital is a bilingual city. Flanders is therefore celebrated every 11 July. This is the day of the Battle of the Golden Spurs, which was chosen by the Flemish community as its annual festival. On 11 July 1513, an army of Flemish militiamen held off the knights of Philip IV of France. The Flemish troops brought back the golden spurs of the fallen knights as trophies. Concerts and events are organised in Flanders and Brussels.

For 15 years, the Balkan Trafik! festival has been coming to Brussels to show what is best in the artistic world of the Balkan Europe, from Serbia to Turkey. Multi-disciplinary, the program offers concerts, exhibitions, debates, cinema, gastronomy ... a whole range to discover the richness of the cultural mosaic that are the Balkans. Every year, a new street art fresco is created. There are already 5 of them, including a colorful composition of Rikardo Druškić near the Grand-Place.

A brand new urban festival whose first edition took place in 2022, Core is the result of a collaboration between the two biggest Belgian festivals: Rock Wechter and Tomorrowland. This means that the line-up will be very eclectic, ranging from rock, indie pop and hip hop to electro and techno. The 5 stages spread across the Osseghem Park carry Tomorrowland's whimsical touch with art installations. In 2022, Lous and the Yakuza, Paul Kalkbrenner or Jamie XX and the Belgian revelation Sylvie Kreusch opened the fire.

Every year, the capital goes green for a week. This involves events and activities that aim to raise awareness of sustainable modes of transport in Brussels. This is an opportunity to discover the city on foot, by bike or by public transport. Mobility Week ends with the traditional "Car Free Sunday" when no vehicles are allowed to circulate in the region. For the occasion, public transport is free. The city is strangely quiet, but watch out for Sunday cyclists.

Formerly called "Fête de la Communauté française", this date commemorates the revolutionary days of 1830 that led to Belgium's independence. It is the date that was chosen to celebrate the federal body that links the French-speaking people of Wallonia and the French-speaking people of Brussels. Several activities and concerts are offered free of charge throughout the city. The big one on the Grand-Place is not to be missed, where all the artists of the "CFWB", as they say in the jargon, come to perform, often with other French-speaking guests.