This year, National Day will be celebrated in a reduced form in Brussels, but some road closures and events will still affect local traffic.
In the morning, the Te Deum will take place in the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula, but the immediate surroundings will be closed to the public.
While the parade will take place in the afternoon, it will be a parade without a public audience, so people are being advised not to travel unnecessarily in Brussels.
"Traffic in the capital could be impacted by the various security measures taken, but we will do everything possible to make the daily life of residents, shopkeepers, employees and other users of the capital as normal as possible and we thank everyone for their understanding," said the Brussels Capital Police in a press release.
Some areas will be closed to traffic, including the area around the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudule.
The closure of the entire perimeter will begin at 8:30 am and last until the end of the Te Deum.
There will also be parking bans around the cathedral and in the streets leading to it.
There will be a traffic and parking ban on Wednesday, July 21, for the parade itself, from morning until late afternoon.
The Place des Palais and its surroundings (the roads between the Boulevard Charlemagne and the Place des Palais: Royale - Ducale - Place des Palais - Loi) will not be accessible to the public.
Only those with an invitation will have access to the ceremony. The access to the Place des Palais has already been closed since July 19, 2021.
The STIB and De Lijn will make necessary arrangements to divert buses and streetcars if required.
Some entrances of the metro stations Parc, Maelbeek, Arts-Loi and Schuman will also be closed, but this will have no impact on the usual metro traffic.
The following tunnels will also be closed to traffic on Wednesday, July 21: the Reyers tunnel (direction center) from 11:30 am, the Cinquantenaire and Loi tunnel (direction center) from 12:00 pm and the Trône tunnel (direction Belliard) from 12:30 pm.
"We advise everyone to avoid the center of Brussels by car on July 21 and to choose public transport," police said.
For real time information on the events of July 21, people are directed to consult the police Twitter account.
The Brussels Times
