If you've decided to stay in Brussels this summer to enjoy the city at its best, you'll find loads of great activities for all ages.
This weekend, Leuven’s climbing village is an excellent destination for very active small people. You can also listen to stories at Abbaye de Villers or take a slightly longer trip to the coast for the Ostend theatre festival. Closer to home, you can blow giant bubbles in a Schaerbeek park, or see a classic movie in the city centre.
Check out our pick of great summer activities for all the family below.
Summer in the city
The Park to Be, Josephat Park, Schaerbeek – Saturday & Sunday, 14:00-19:00
Schaerbeek’s lovely Josephat Park has been putting on family activities every weekend this summer. The theme this week is Do It Yourself with many mini-workshops to show you new skills.
Credit: The park to be
On Saturday and Sunday, you can try embroidery, make personalised badges, make your own home-cleaning products, or try tawashi, the art of making ecological sponges. You can also blow giant bubbles and listen to music.
On Sunday, there’s also a repair café where local volunteers will try to give a second life to any broken objects.
Find more information here.
Fundays in the Marais, Wiels, Avenue Van Volxem 354, Forest – Sunday, 14:00
The Wiels contemporary art gallery in Forest has a family-focused event every second Sunday, including a guided tour of one its exhibitions and a workshop.
Credit: WIELS
This Sunday, kids will get to try flower pounding, where you use a hammer to smash flowers and leaves to transfer their colours to fabric or paper. The tour starts at 14:00 and the workshop begins at 15:00 and both will be in French and Dutch.
There’s no charge for children but adults will have to buy a ticket to attend the exhibition. Wiels is currently showing work by conceptual artist Lutz Bacher, including a T-Rex, and an exhibition, Call Me Gravity, exploring the concept of debt.
Find more information here.
La mission de l’apprentie dragonne, Duden Park, Forest – Sunday, 13:00-17:00
L'Écho des Brumes is a nonprofit that organises role-playing games. It runs a monthly session to introduce the concept to children between the ages of 6 and 10.
Credit: L’Écho des Brumes
This French-speaking game in Forest’s Duden park sends children out to help young Suzy the dragon evade capture. It costs €35 per child with a snack included at around 15:00.
Find more information here.
Mary Poppins, Cinematek, Rue Baron Horta, 1000 Brussels – Sunday, 15:00
If you have an English-speaking child, it can be surprisingly difficult to find English-speaking movies at child-friendly times since most of the big animated films for children are shown with a French or Dutch soundtrack.
Credit: Cinematek
Here’s one option: an old movie in Brussels’ cinema museum, the Cinematek. Mary Poppins is a 1964 classic that still holds up strong: great songs and gorgeous visuals despite the questionable accents. It’s suitable for children aged 5 and up. There will be subtitles in French and Dutch. Be warned that Cinematek is not air conditioned.
Find more information here.
Climbing and storytelling
Klauterdorp, Hal 5, Locomotievenstraat, 3010 Kessel-Lo – open every day, 10:00-17:00
Leuven’s former railway workshop, Hal 5, has been turned into a temporary summer climbing paradise for children between 2 and 7 years old with an obstacle course for them to conquer.
Credit: Stad Leuven
You can drop in any time until Sunday and there’s no charge. There are lunch options near the site, which is a 10-minute walk from Leuven’s train station, so it’s easy to make a day trip out of it.
Find more information here.
Contes légendes en balade, Abbaye de Villers, Villers-la-Ville – Sunday, 14:00
Abbaye de Villers’s stunning skeleton ruins are a sight to behold at any time, but doing it as part of a storytelling tour is a great introduction to the 880-year history of the abbey. Storyteller Soélou promises an inspiring walk aimed at children as young as 5.
Credit: Abbaye de VLV
Children pay €12 for a ticket, adults pay €18. At 16:00, there’s also a chorale éphémère (pop-up choir), where you can sing among the ruins.
Find more information here and here.
Summer festivals
JŪ, Theater aan Zee, Ostend – Saturday, 11:00
The beach of Ostend is the stage for JŪ, one of the many shows at the Theater aan Zee performing arts festival, which will run until 8 August. This show asks the audience to pull on a tow rope to help an old horse plough through the sand.
Credit: Theater Aan Zee
Do check out the rest of the programme as there are many child-friendly shows during the week and not all of them require Dutch.
You can also leave a message in a bottle in Café Koer to create a living piece of installation art.
Find more information here.
Esperanzah! Abbaye de Floreffe – Friday-Sunday
Epseranzah! will take place in Floreffe, about an hour’s drive from Brussels. There will be live music and street art performances, including loud drums and disco-flavoured acrobatics. There is also a children’s village with workshops and activities.
Credit: Festival Esperanzah
The event says it’s one of the cheapest festivals in the country. A day ticket is €58 for an adult, and €38 for kids aged 12-15 years. You can pay what you like above €5 for kids aged 6-11 years.
Find more information here.
Trolls & Légendes, Anciens Abattoirs, Mons – Saturday, 10:00-19:00
Trolls take over Mons for a day for a family-friendly medieval fantasy festival.
Credit: Ville de Mons
There will be costumes, axe-throwing, sword-fighting, storytelling, circus games, Belgian Celtic punk bands, and (of course) face painting and bouncy castles. Entry is free and Mons takes less than an hour to get to by car or train from Brussels.
Find more information here.
