Several parks are betting on a sunny weekend for summer festivals this weekend. Auderghem, Forest, Woluwe Saint-Pierre, Saint-Gilles and Watermael-Boitsfort are all planning family-focused outdoor events that hopefully will get some sunshine. Schaerbeek is hedging its bets with indoor-outdoor comedy theatre for the Mosaik Festival; some shows are indoor in the theatre, but many are outdoors at the nearby summer bar.
On the outskirts of the city, St Anthony’s church in Kraainem has its annual summer event, only the second place this weekend where you could scoop up second-hand English books after the Stonemanor sale on Saturday. If you're more of a film person, there are the parent-child parallel movies in Ixelles on Saturday morning or a sing-along K-pop at Kinepolis.
Summer festivals
Rouge-Cloître en fête, Auderghem – Saturday, 11:00-19:00
The lovely Rouge-Cloître park celebrates summer with a very full programme of exhibitions, artists, games, workshops, tours, horses and more. For children, a highlight is a storytelling walk at 13:00, in French for seven-year-olds and older, and best reserved in advance. There’s also a show, 'Coeur de Pirate', at 15:00 in French for six years and up, which will also serve up pancakes and chocolate.
Rouge-Cloître. Credit: Visit Brussels / Jean-Paul Remy
But don’t worry if you miss out on those, there are also workshops on watercolour painting and origami, an introduction to the slackline, a wood obstacle course, and more. The live music includes a hunting horn serenade. The site is closed to cars so you are asked to walk or cycle. There will be a shuttle for people with limited mobility.
Find more information here
Zondag Atomix, BRASS, Forest – Sunday, 14:00-18:00
Forest is laying on a creative festival for families, this time at the marais Wiels garden at the back of the BRASS cultural centre. There will be creative workshops, games, duck fishing, and an installation for babies and toddlers to explore nature at 10:00 and 13:00.
Credit: BRASS - Centre Culturel de Forest
There'll also be pancakes, candy floss, and popcorn. The day ends with a circus show that children are encouraged to participate in at 17:00. You can also check out the commune's babytheek, which lends out children's items to local families.
Find more information here.
Mosaik festival, L'Os à Moelle, Schaerbeek – Saturday and Sunday
Schaerbeek French-speaking cabaret L'Os à Moelle is running a comedy-drama festival this week. Some – but not all – of the weekend shows are free of charge. On Saturday, you’ve got 'Les 3 Petits Cochons' ('The Three Little Pigs') at 11:00 for three years and up, with another version, 'Les 3 Petits Lardons' at 13:15 and 15:15 for older audiences that promises to be accessible to non-French speakers too.
Mosaik festival 2024. Credit: L'Os à Moelle - Cabaret
The nearby guinguette will have a comedy duel show at 12:45, a beatbox-style concert for kids at 13:30. On Sunday, there's stand-up comedy for kids at 14:00 and an improvisation session at 16:00, along with music and storytelling outdoors.
Find more information here.
Guinguette, Parc de l'Amitié, Woluwe Saint-Pierre – Saturday, 11:00-22:00
The guinguette, or summer outdoor bar happenings, have become a fixture in many Brussels parks. This one, in Woluwe Saint-Pierre, is just a two-day pop-up, but it's been designed to pack a lot in.
The Saturday kicks off with storytelling in French organised by local libraries at 11:00. In the afternoon, there'll be face painting and street theatre before the 1980s and 1990s DJ, followed by a giant karaoke session. Food trucks and a bar will be available all day.
Find more information here.
Marelle Day, Boulevard Jamar, Saint-Gilles – Saturday, 12:00-17:00
A street party with a difference. Boulevard Jamar will be turning itself into a huge fresco, with adults and children encouraged to come and paint the street with stencils on a Saturday afternoon.
Credit: marelle.brussels
Find more information here.
Garden Party, La Vénerie, Watermael-Boitsfort – Saturday, 13:00-21:00
Watermael-Boitsfort’s cultural centre welcomes the summer by opening up its garden and putting on several shows, some circus-style performances, a funfair and some live music. The day finishes with an evening parade and barbecue.
Credit: La Vénerie
Find more information here.
Venetian costume parade, Groot Bijgaarden castle – Sunday, 10:00-17:00
The gardens of the Groot Bijgaarden castle are open to the public as part of the Vestalia festival, where privately held stately homes and gardens welcome visitors. To make this extra special, there'll be a Venetian costume parade on Sunday, at 10:30 and 14:00, along with hamburger food trucks to make a day of it.
Credit: Groot Bijgaarden castle
Find more information here.
A must for English book lovers
Serve the City book sale, Stonemanor, Everberg – Saturday, 10:00-15:30
Almost an institution for book lovers, the Serve the City sale accepts donations and sells books for charity by the centimetre. There’s usually an excellent selection of children's books in English, too. This takes place in the car park of the Stonemanor British store in Everberg, to the east of Brussels. The easiest way to get there is by car.
Credit: Stonemanor
Find more information here.
Summer Fayre, St Anthony's Parish, Kraainem – Sunday, 13:00
St Anthony's, the Catholic church that serves the English-speaking community of Brussels, marks summer with its huge summer event with live music, a barbecue, a bouncy castle and more. A highlight for many English speakers is the book sale, as many families come to drop off and pick up children's books.
Credit: Dominicans
Find more information here.
A trip to the movies
Les samedis du ciné, Cinéma Vendôme, Ixelles – Saturday, 10:30
Every two weeks, the Cinema Vendôme in Ixelles runs a double movie extravaganza. Children can see a kid-friendly movie in French while adults go to a parallel showing, often in French but sometimes in other languages also.
Credit: Canva
This week, children can see a Belgian animated classic, 'Fly Me to the Moon', and adults can go and see the French comedy 'À bicyclette'. Entry is €2.50 per person, and children will also get a snack.
Find more information here.
Singalong Kpop Demon Hunters, Kinepolis Brussels – Friday, 20:00 and Sunday at 17:00
Last year's must-see Korean pop animation is back in cinemas for a singalong version so you can hear yourself and a few hundred others belting out Golden at the top of your lungs. There'll be two showings of this in English, with English subtitles.
Credit: Jonas Roosens / Belga
Find more information here.
