The summer season is well and truly on its way, with temperatures soaring into the 30s this weekend and an increasing number of events on Brussels' agenda.
From cultural festivals and classical music concerts to hair styling workshops and all-day open-air parties, find all our favourite activities happening in Brussels below.
Art and culture
Festival Expressions Mixtes, Bruegel Cultural Centre, until Saturday 14 June
This essential initiative celebrating the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community of all origins is making a return to the capital this weekend. It is organised with the help of Hassan Jarfi, the father of Ihsane Jarfi, who was attacked and killed in 2012 because he was gay.
Credit: Festival Expressions Mixtes
On top of being an event that aims to create a space for dialogue through art and culture, Expressions Mixtes is also a rallying cry for tolerance, acceptance and a celebration of diversity. From screenings and workshops to debates and artistic performances, the stories of LGBTQ+ people from diverse cultures and nationalities will be put in the spotlight. This year will feature Louis-Georges Tin, a renowned activist for his fight against homophobia and for minority rights.
Find out more information here.
Souki Festival, Tour & Taxis, Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 June
After a successful first edition, this unique festival is back in Brussels this weekend, celebrating natural, curly hair, beauty, culture and self-love. Visitors can expect an array of inspiring conferences and talks, hair styling, DIY workshops and wellness discussions.
Credit: Soul Glow
The event is organised by non-profit Soul Glow, whose objective is to combat discrimination and inequality by offering accessible activities based on three pillars: support for single-parent families; developing a community around music; and organising conferences and workshops on hair. The organisation's key aim is to bring people together and creates bonds between people of all backgrounds, regardless of their history.
Find more information here.
Music and dance
Badke(remix), KVS BOL, until Friday 13 June
Initially created by Koen Augustijnen, Rosalba Torres and Hildegard De Vuyst, this impressive Belgian-Palestinian dance production toured worldwide between 2013 and 2016, featuring ten exceptional Palestinian dancers. Now, in the current political context, the repertoire has changed and it is now headed by choreographers Ata Khattab and Amir Sabra, who aim to present a "zest for life and dance as a form of resistance."
Credit: laGeste & Stereo48 / KVS
Brussels' Flemish "intercultural, inter-generational and open-gender" city theatre KVS has an open ensemble of theatre-makers, performers, directors, choreographers and authors, creating art that "resonates far beyond Brussels."
Find more information here.
Los Angeles Master Chorale & Peter Sellars concert, Bozar, Sunday 15 June
Classical music aficionados are in luck this weekend: after a widely acclaimed collaboration on Lagrime di San Pietro, Peter Sellars and the Los Angeles Master Chorale are reuniting with a deeply personal meditation on what it means to say goodbye in times of struggle.
Los Angeles Master Chorale. Credit: Brian Feinzimer
In tribute to Pierre Audi – the Director of the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence and a close collaborator of Sellars – the choir of 24 singers will perform Baroque composer Heinrich Schütz's mesmerising 'Musikalische Exequien' (Music to Accompany a Departure). Conducted by Grant Gershon and directed by Sellars, the tender and heartfelt performance will combine poignant solo and choral sections with choreography.
Find more information here.
Musiques Nouvelles, Flagey, Saturday 14 june
Musiques Nouvelles offers its audience the opportunity to learn about contemporary music in a fresh, inventive and appealing way. During their annual event Musiques Fraîches, the ensemble presents new compositions by a number of contemporary composers.
Place Flagey late night in summer. Credit: Belga
Bold creations by the new generation of artists based in Wallonia and Brussels are on the menu for this edition – which is sure to make a splash.
Find more information here.
Congrès Open-Air, Place du Congrès, Saturday 14 June
After last year's sold-out edition with British electronic legend Joy Orbison, Play Label are back with an impressive line-up, featuring the iconic MCR-T and KITTIN as headliners. As the sun dips below the horizon at Place du Congrès, Courtesy will take to the stage, followed by local heroes Aroh DJ & Catalina.
Credit: Play Label
The open-air will begin at 13:00 and finish at 22:00 and there will be food available on site. But the night won't end there, as La Cabane's much-anticipated afterparty will keep you on the dance floor from 22:00 to 06:00.
Find more information here.
