We are at peak spring with warmer weather and the festival scene hotting up. Nearly every weekend has something special this time of year with free activities, many of them aimed at families.
This weekend, a stroll around the city centre could reward you with a circus show or a circus workshop, easily combined by popping into a museum for some of the events for Flemish heritage day on Sunday.
If you take a slightly longer walk to Brussels-North station, you can pay a visit to the new Place du Nord summer bar, which has free activities for children to bring some life to the concrete office blocks next to the railway station.
Belgium loves those who book ahead, so do check out the nature workshops in Watermael-Boitsfort this weekend or the unique opportunity to place your baby on a lilypad this summer.
The circus comes to town
Hopla! Circus Festival – various locations, from 25 April to 1 May
Brussels has a surprisingly strong circus scene with a renowned school of circus arts and many circus-themed activities for children. All of that will be on display this weekend with the Hopla! festival in the city centre. The most fun for kids will likely be watching other children perform in the Sainte-Catherine area on Saturday afternoon and trying out an open circus workshop on Sunday afternoon.
Credit: Hop! La
There’s also a stunning-looking aerial acrobatic display, "Rouge Merveille", at the Bourse at 17:00 on Saturday and 16:30 on Sunday. The festival culminates on Tuesday evening with a performance of “Hot & Cold” in Neder-over-Hembeek by Wise Fools, a group of Brussels-trained circus artists who’ve worked with Cirque de Soleil.
Find more information here.
Summer in the city
Place du Nord family day – all day Saturday, 25 April
Brussels’ open-air summer bars, or guinguettes, are one of the high-point of city life, creating a place for people to gather, often in local parks, to eat and drink on long evenings. The city is hoping to sprinkle some of that magic on the concrete jungle around Brussels-North station with the Place du Nord pop-up, which will have workshops, concerts and festivals alongside the food and drinks stalls.
Credit: Place du Nord
It opens this weekend with a family day on Saturday. There’s a mini-funfair, a magic show, balloon sculptures, face painting and mural painting by Schaerbeek’s hip hop school.
Find more information here and here.
Flemish heritage, but make it funny
Erfgoeddag – various locations, Sunday, 26 April
Brussels museums and heritage organisations open their doors on Sunday with activities around the theme of humour. Since this is organised by the Flemish community, many of these are in Dutch – but not all. While you may already know many of the bigger museums taking part, like the BelVue, there are also some more offbeat choices that look interesting, like a family workshop at the Argos centre for arts and an ABC House art workshop for all ages.
Credit: Museum van de Stad Brussel
The Cinematek film museum will be running a Dutch-language comedy workshop for children and teens between 7 and 16, looking at comic geniuses Charlie Chaplin and Jacques Tati. The Belgian Chocolate Village in Koekelberg will be showing short comic films with a Belgian touch and with Belgian chocolates during the break.
Find more information here.
Royal Library of Belgium (KBR), boulevard de l’Empereur, 1000 Brussels – Monday to Saturday, 09:00-17:00
I wasn’t expecting a child-friendly experience from a museum housing the manuscripts that the Burgundian dukes collected in the 15th and 16th centuries – but I was very wrong. The KBR manages to make a fun rainy day activity out of its collection with a lot of hand-on spots in the museum where children can bind a booklet or practice calligraphy.
Credit: KBR Museum
There’s a good section on polyphonic music, sung by several different voices, where you can listen to the music and follow the notes on the manuscript. The museum is free for children and usually has an €11 entry fee for adults but it’s free for all this Sunday for Flemish heritage day, with a special self-guided workshop to create your medieval meme for 8 years and up from 10:00.
Find more information here.
Nature spotting in the park
Bioblitz dans le parc, Tournay-Solvay Park, Watermael-Boitsfort – from Saturday, 25 April at 18:00 until Sunday, 26 April at 18:00
Ecology group Tournesol celebrates its 40th anniversary by inviting you to come to Tournay-Solvay Park to identify as many plants and creatures as possible. It kicks off on Saturday night by setting up secret cameras to film animals, with separate events to spot moths and bats.
Credit: Tournesol Zonnebloem
Numbers are limited for these activities, so do book a spot in advance. On Sunday, the park is open to all to browse information stands and spot nature in the park but there are also group activities that need to be reserved ahead of time, focusing on bees, aquatic creatures, mushrooms and more.
Find more information here.
Baby, are you ready for your close-up?
Botanic Garden, Meise – 17 June to 12 August
One of the secret joys of parenting is taking pictures of small people in novelty costumes. At the very least, a cute pic of a baby in a reindeer suit can serve as future blackmail material. The more noble among you may prefer a slightly more dignified photo op: a cute photo of a baby on a giant water lily.
Credit: Meise Botanic Garden
The Botanic Garden organises these every summer for babies up to 1 year of age. The water lilies are 2 metres wide and you can place twins on them. Bookings open on Thursday for a 15-minute slot at a charge of €56.
Find more information here.
