The so-called Palaces (or quadrilatères) with monumental columns underneath the Brussels Midi/Zuid Station are opening for the first time in 20 years, for a rave organised by the famous Fuse techno club.
The nightclub received a licence to organise a two-day event on the first floor of the area between the station and the Small Ring Road on the occasion of its 29th birthday. The rave will take place over the weekend of 22 and 23 April.
"We are the first in 20 years to be granted a permit to party at this special location. The raw, industrial aesthetic of the quadrilatères perfectly complements Fuse's signature vibe," Steven Van Belle of Fuse told Bruzz. The space, which once served as a mail sorting facility, is about 7,000m² in total and will be divided into two rooms for the event.
The area has been empty for about 40 years, and various ideas have already been discussed for the use of the spaces. Brussels Mobility and national railway company SNCB would like to see a bus stop and a bicycle shed there, while the Brussels-Capital Region was in favour of a market hall.
In 2021, SNCB launched a call for permanent as well as temporary ideas for the vacant spaces but no ideas have been accepted yet, partly because an Urban Renewal Contract (SVC) for the Midi/South Station and the neighbourhood around it is not yet ready.
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Therefore, the Fuse event was authorised just this once, with the approval of the municipality of Saint-Gilles and the cabinet of Brussels State Secretary for Urban Planning Pascal Smet. "The event can be a good test of what those spaces have to offer in the long term."
Additionally, several partners are currently working together to make the area around the Midi/South station more pleasant, within the framework of the SVC, led by Brussels Minister-President Rudi Vervoort. "The environment of the station as an international gateway could be improved. This event can be a good lever to initiate that transformation."
