With the weather warming up and the festival season upon us, there is a rich and varied programme of events this weekend in Brussels.
Whether you're looking to make the most of the spring weather with a guided tour or be bewitched by a circus performance in the city centre, there's something for everyone. Find all our favourite activities below.
Out and about
Brussels Vinyl Record Fair 2026, Galerie Ravenstein, Sunday 26 April, 10:00 to 18:00
Vinyl lovers should make a beeline for the city centre this Sunday for the 29th edition of the much-loved Brussels Vinyl Record Fair, where you can buy a wide array of records from all eras of music.
Credit: Brussels Record Fair
Admission is free for all visitors starting at 10:00, but if you're eager to get your hands on the rarest finds, VIP tickets will be available starting at 07:00.
Find more information here.
Guided tour of the EU Quarter, Saturday 25 April
Following on from last week's Art Nouveau edition, Korei is continuing its array of English-language guided tours around some of Brussels' most iconic venues. This Saturday, the EU Quarter will be in the spotlight, with participants invited to explore an area which has undergone radical transformation in recent decades and remains surprisingly unknown to many.
Credit: Korei Guided Tours
During the guided tour, organisers will outline the historical development of Brussels' first eastern urban expansion and place the contemporary urban fabric in context. They will also visit Leopold Park and highlight its rich past, from the Eggevoort estate to the science park with figures such as Einstein, Solvay, and architect Balat.
Find out more here.
Hopla! Circus Festival, various locations, from 25 April to 1 May
Brussels has a vibrant circus scene with a renowned school of circus arts. This weekend, the Hopla! festival will allow people to discover the city's contemporary circus culture in the public spaces of the City of Brussels.
Credit: Hopla!
At 17:00 on Saturday and 16:30 on Sunday, there will be an aerial acrobatic display, "Rouge Merveille", at the Bours. The festival will culminate on Tuesday evening with a performance in Neder-over-Hembeek by Wise Fools, a group of Brussels-trained circus artists who have worked with Cirque de Soleil.
Find out more here.
Exhibition: The Einstein Telescope and the secrets of the universe, VUB Ixelles Campus, from 20 April to 26 April
Young and old are invited to delve into gravitational waves this weekend with an interactive exhibition about the Einstein Telescope, a new generation gravitational wave detector that promises to unravel the mysteries of the dark universe. This large-scale project – comparable to CERN – may soon be built at the border of Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
Credit: VUB
Visitors to the exhibition can take a virtual reality tour through the Einstein Telescope or a neutron star and find colliding black holes in simulated measurement data. They will also have the chance to operate a mini-Einstein Telescope interferometer.
Find out more here.
Portuguese revolution day celebrations, various locations, Saturday 25 April
The city's Portuguese community is coming together on Saturday to mark the anniversary of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution – a key moment in the country’s transition to democracy.
There are various events taking place throughout the city. At the Ginger Bar in central Brussels there will be a big event organised by a group of local Portuguese citizens living in Brussels.
The programme includes a thematic art exhibition, followed by a panel discussion, two live performances by Portuguese musicians and three DJ sets. Entry is free, but donations are welcome.
Find more information here.
Art, music and culture
Brussels Short Film Festival, various locations, from 22 April to 2 May
The 29th edition of the Brussels Short Film Festival promises to be a real corker. The festival is spread across the city, with films being shown in various locations, including the Flagey Cultural Centre, Mont des Arts and the Cinema Galeries.
Credit: Brussels Short Film Festival
Audiences will be invited to explore a wide range of recent short films, with a range of screenings showcasing Belgian and international productions. Over the course of the 10-day festival, viewers can enjoy showings of approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes, including five to six films.
Find out more here.
Stravinsky: Petrushka, Flagey Cultural Centre, Friday 24 April, 20:15
Fans of classical music are in for a treat this Friday with a concert celebrating the power of the imagination. Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra will play three celebrated works: Joan Tower's Sequoia, Camille Pépin's Les Eaux Célestes and Igor Stravinsky's Petrushka.
Credit: Flagey
According to organisers, the visual dimension of the concert "invites the audience to imagine a personal parallel universe", while the new works by artist Ellen Vrijsen, inspired by the music, promise to "activate the viewer’s imagination".
Find more information here.
Scéal Eile film festival, various locations, from 21 to 26 April
This festival is committed to screening the best of Irish cinema in Belgium – and is certainly not one to be missed. The ninth edition of the festival will begin in Brussels on 22 April, after the first screening in Leuven, and once again promises a wide variety of films.
Credit: Irish Film Festival
This year, highlights include 'Horseshoe', which opens the festival in Brussels, Northern Irish drama 'Housejackers', Irish-language heist 'Aontas' and Irish-language horror 'Fréwaka'. For the latter three Brussels screenings, all the filmmakers will be in attendance.
Find more information here.
