The programme of events for National Day, 21 July, was unveiled on Wednesday in Brussels City Hall, at a ceremony held in the presence of by Mayor Philippe Close.
Shows by the Army, Emergency Services and other groups, along with the traditional parade and fireworks will be held on Sunday 21 July, while the customary National Ball will take place on the evening of 20 July at the Place du Jeu de Balle.
The National Day celebrations, which will also mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Belgium, will be organised in conjunction with the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Home Affairs, European Union, Defence Ministry and the City and Region of Brussels.
The festivities, managed by the Brussels Promotion Board, will extend from the Law Courts to Parliament, including Brussels Park and the Rue de la Regence. A host of activities will be organised from 10.00 a.m to 11.00 p.m. on the 21st. Attractions will include the federal police village at the Place Polaert, military vehicles, a bivouac with actors dressed in costumes of the era, and the “phenomenal truck” of the Office of the Prime Minister. Many museums, religious places and institutions will be open to the public.
Further, the Place du Jeu de Balle will be decorated in the national colours for the Brol National flea market. The Resto National (National Restaurant) will welcome its first guests after the parade, from about 04.00 p.m., offering them some 1,300 portions of mussels with chips. “It’s a very nice time,” Philippe Close noted, adding that the Foire du Midi fair, which opens on Saturday, will continue through the weekend of 21 July.
Fireworks will be set off from 11.00 p.m. from the gardens of the Palais des Academies.
The Brussels Times
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