Brussels’ Cinquantenaire Park’s major renovations are entering a new phase, with Belgian officials hoping the works will be completed in time for Belgium’s 200th anniversary in 2030.
This vibrant park is well-known for its sporting events, festivals, concerts, fireworks as well as being the European Quarter's unofficial playground.
Opened in 1880, the park takes its name from the celebrations for Belgium’s 50th birthday – in Dutch it is known as Jubelpark (which translates to Jubilee Park).
Now, nearly 150 years later, Belgium has allocated €155 million to ensure the 34-hectare park and its buildings (museums, pavilions) get a full makeover ahead of the celebrations, of which Cinquantenaire will be main the focus.
The cooperation agreement between the Federal Government and the Brussels-Capital Region has supported a new phase of renovation of the park, meaning the works are on track – for now.
The renovated roofs near the arch of Cinquantenaire. Credit: Beliris
After completing the renovation of the roofs in March 2025, the city will focus its efforts on the park itself, with plans to turn it into a Belgian version of New York's Central Park.
The park renovation, run by state building agency Beliris, will focus on four key areas: water management, sport/leisure, paths/monuments, and lighting.
More trees, rain collection
With this, Cinquantenaire will modernise its ageing infrastructure, but also meet the challenges of climate change and bring down energy costs.
The tree population will be rejuvenated with a planting programme, while some of the old or diseased trees will be gradually replaced over 20 years. Growing conditions will also be improved by enriching the soil around these older specimens, some of which are centuries-old.
The asphalted areas of the park will be paved with a natural stone, as the previous one created dust with high pH levels, depositing limestone on the plants, harming them. A new completely permeable material will be added and which will produce much less dust, Eric Dessart, one of the project managers, told RTBF.
Rainwater management will be improved, as it currently runs off the impermeable ground and into the drains. The renovated museum roofs will collect 2,000 cubic metres of rainwater – which amounts to half the volume of water used by the city each year to maintain the park's plants.
Water will also be better collected inside the park area, thanks to the semi-permeable path surfaces which will allow rainwater to seep into the ground. Rain gardens will also be created throughout the park.
Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
The night lighting of the monuments will also be renewed to ensure lower energy costs. It will be adapted according to the seasons and moments of the night, thanks to the use of smart lighting.
The two perpendicular paths running alongside the museums will be lit up all night long, while all other paths will only be lit up until midnight. This will enhance the tranquillity of the wildlife, help combat light pollution and save energy.
Unfortunately, the project to cover the tunnel – which cuts across the park with four lanes of traffic – has been abandoned for both budgetary and technical reasons, according to Belgian media DH.
Better sport facilities
Sport lovers can sleep easy – the park's recreational activity areas will be saved and renovated. That includes the popular athletic's track, which will be shortened to 330 meters and narrowed to 45 meters.
Next to the athletics track, two multi-sports grounds for all kinds of ball sports will be built, including artificial turf pitches for yoga, slacklining, as well as an area for athletics disciplines. Two rows of around 14 pétanque courts will also follow.
All of the recreational areas will be better integrated – as they are not linked to the original structure of the park, having been added later.
The park will enter a long renovation cycle from next summer, but authorities have said that the park will remain open to the public during the works.
Cinquantenaire Park from the sky, with the athletics track in the foreground. Credit: Simon Schmitt / GlobalView / Beliris
With feasibility studies having begun back in 2016, the major works will be hopefully ready by July 2029 – exactly one year short of Belgium’s second centennial celebration.
In May 2025, Beliris took the next step in the feasibility study by publishing a public tender for the appointment of a design office to prepare the renovation of the Art & History Museum, Autoworld and the Army Museum.
For the wider building renovations, the first phase has focussed on the Aviation Hall, Army Museum (2024-2025), the second on the Autoworld museum (2026-2027), the third on the Bordiau Hall and front and interior façades of the Army Museum (2026-2027). Finally, the last phase will be dedicated to the park's arch, the Arc de Triomphe (2028).
