Friday marks the start of a long weekend thanks to the Belgian National Day on Saturday 21 July. There are now three full days to explore the Belgian capital and everything it has to offer. Find our favourite events and activities below.
Arts, music and culture
Free museum visits, various locations in Brussels, until Sunday 23 July
To mark the tenth anniversary of the reign of King Philippe, access to the permanent collections of Belgium's federal museums will be free this weekend. The relevant museums include the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, the Royal Museums of Art and History, the Museum of Natural Sciences, the AfricaMuseum and the KBR Museum.
Credit: Nick Kuskin/Bozar
Take this opportunity to explore works by Belgian Surrealist artist René Magritte at the Magritte Museum with a free guided tour on Saturday, or head to Bozar for the final day of "The Harlem Fantasy '82", a photography exhibition on the pioneering days of the New York City ballroom scene that empowered black and Latina drag queens and transgender people to celebrate their identities.
Find more information here.
Out and about
The Holidays 2023, Recyclart, until Friday 28 July
Recyclart will transform its courtyard on Manchester Street in Molenbeek into an open-air venue for music, performances, pop-up window and facade exhibitions, mobile interventions, DJ set – the list goes on!
Credit: Bar Recyclart
Make your way to the trendiest place in town this weekend – on Friday, the entrance is free until 21:00 – for food, chilled drinks and a party that lasts until the early morning, run by the non-profit feminist collective rebel, with Blck Mamba, Unos and Zouzibabe taking to the stage.
Find more information here.
Happy Belgium concert, Parc du Cinquantenaire, Friday 21 July
This year's National Day will close with a major free concert at the Cinquantenaire Park, starting at 21:00. Numerous Belgian artists such as singer-songwriter Ozark Henry, Belgium's Eurovision representative Gustaph, and Axelle Red. At 23:00, the festivities will conclude with a laser, light and fireworks show.
The fireworks on the Belgian National Day, in Brussels, Sunday 21 July 2019. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
As was the case last year, individual celebrations can choose to take place as part of the National Apero initiative, through which pubs, bars and restaurants can announce they will be organising parties on 21 July.
Find out the full agenda for Friday here and find more information about the National Day here.
Summer tales in the Forêt de Soignes, Sunday 23 July
Looking to replace the hustle and bustle of the city with a serene forest environment? Every Sunday over the summer, storytelling walks are organised in the parks of Brussels, with guides leading the way through the region's most beautiful green lungs and encouraging walkers to look at nature in a different way.
Forêt de Soignes. Credit: Belga/ Siska Gremmelprez
This weekend's summer tales event in the Forêt de Soignes, the largest green space near the region, explores the forest as a gateway between the ordinary and the extraordinary. What better way to let go of the previous week and fully relax?
Find more information here.
Further afield
Gentse Feesten, various locations across Ghent, until Sunday 23 July
Re-discover the historic city of Ghent in East Flanders in a whole new way. During Gentse Feesten, traditional festivities which stem from the first municipal celebrations organised in 1843 and take place for 10 days every July, its cobbled streets become open-air festivals, while most of its venues provide a stage to a wide range of artists and creators.
In the Prince's Court, the people in the procession had to beg the emperor for mercy. Credit: Stad Gent
Make sure not to miss the "Gilde van de Stroppendragers" on Friday night, one of the highlights of the festivities. It recalls how Charles V humiliated the notables of Ghent in May 1540 in a procession consisting of bare-foot city officials, porters and craftsmen, members of the small craft guilds, weavers and s-called screechers, who wear nooses around the neck.
Find more information here.
