A new bar has opened in Brussels city centre offering customers an unusual evening out. At Shooters bar on Rue Antoine Dansaert you can do some target practice on a high-tech shooting range while sipping cocktails.
The owners claim the combination is a world first, and there is no doubt that the atmosphere in the bar on Rue Antoine Dansaert is unique, combining elegant surroundings with a nostalgic nod to childhood fun at the fair.
The bar was launched earlier this month by Julien Vandenitte and Romain Félix, who say they want to "reinvent precision shooting as a safe, sporty, and social activity".
A childhood dream
When Vandenitte explains to The Brussels Times where the idea for Shooters came from, he immediately goes back to childhood. “We grew up together, we met at the age of seven, we lived not far from each other,” he says about his long-time friend and co-founder.
“When we went to the fair to shoot air rifles at balloons or to arcade games, we really had that feeling of wonder, excitement, and we wanted to recreate a bit of that nostalgia.”
But Shooters is not just a revisit of old carnival booths. The pair wanted an atmosphere straight out of an action movie. “We wanted to recreate the experience in an action film. The moment when the main character, still quite an ordinary person, finds themselves in some kind of underground base with a James Bond or John Wick or Jason Bourne vibe,” Vandenitte explains.
That influence is visible in the design of the venue: “The stained-glass windows, the church pews… all the design is meant to reproduce this world very strongly inspired by John Wick.”
Inside the new bar. Credit: Maurice Jaccard
Safety first, then fun
Every visit starts with a clear and structured briefing from a 'Gun Master' who is trained internally. “Typically, first you’re welcomed by a Gun Master who will give you a safety briefing,” says Vandenitte.
“We’ve designed several concepts like Woodcutter. We can draw from everything we learned there, especially regarding safety, which is obviously the absolute priority."
Forty people can play simultaneously. Credit: Maurice Jaccard
The replica guns are authentic airsoft models. “They respect the materials, the weight of actual guns,” says Vandenitte.
Shooters can currently host up to 40 players simultaneously and a typical session lasts between one and one-and-a-half hours. The price starts at €30 per player.
A world-first Belgian innovation
Behind the scenes lies the heart of the concept: technology invented and developed entirely in Belgium. “We’ve developed a technology that’s a world first, 100% Belgian, where we can detect the impact point with 1 mm precision,” Vandenitte explains.
The impact can be detected with 1mm precision. Credit: Maurice Jaccard
Unlike many modern shooting experiences, Shooters uses real projectiles, not virtual ones. “It’s really an airsoft pellet that comes out at 100 m/s and hits the screen.”
Around this system, the founders created a range of games: classic shooting-range modes, but also playful options like nail shooting or a nostalgic tribute: “We recreated the famous Duck Hunt from Nintendo.”
The Nintendo-inspired duck hunt game. Credit: Maurice Jaccard
A strict safety approach
As airsoft replicas are involved, the team maintains strict discipline. “We are under constant supervision and the rule is clear: always keep the replicas pointed at the screen,” says Vandenitte. Participants must wear protection at all times and the activity is only open to people aged 12 and over (with a legal guardian present for children).
The goal, they say, is to create “a place where you can have fun, discover yourself, spend a moment, and learn something new in a responsible and slightly educational setting.”
Vandenitte likes to remind visitors that precision shooting is, before all, a sport. “Precision shooting is a sport, an Olympic discipline," he says. "For us, it’s a bit like throwing darts or archery.”
A shooting range and cocktail bar. Credit: Maurice Jaccard
Far from Brussels’ gun violence
Brussels has seen a rise in shootings linked to organised crime. Vandenitte is clear that Shooters has no connection to that reality. “Honestly, we all deplore these events. It’s tragic and it’s not at all something that corresponds to our city. And for us, it has nothing to do with it.”
He insists the activity belongs in a totally different category. “Violence is the intention to cause harm. Here, we’re in a safe, sporting context. Comparing this activity to street gun violence is like comparing go-karting to a driver on the highway going 200 km/h after drinking.”
Could Shooters help young people develop safer attitudes? Vandenitte stays cautious. “I don’t dare say whether we’ll be able to influence young minds…but our mission is to create fun, responsible, civic, and social experiences.”
Reservations are open for one-hour sessions at Shooters, which can be found on Rue Antoine Dansaert in Brussels city centre.
