Events in Belgium

Art dealers in classical, Egyptian and Near Eastern antiquities come to Brussels from all over the world to put their treasures on display in leading galleries at the Sablon quarter. Ranging from prize museum pieces to affordable collectibles, numerous treasured objects change hands.

About 1,200 uniformed military enthusiasts assemble in the same orchard the Imperial Guard descended on June 16 and 17 in 1815. During this weekend an assortment of military exercises and different demonstrations take place. Bivouacs will be installed at the last H.Q. of Napolean and at the Hougoumont Farm. There will be a reconstruction of the battle in Plancenoit on Saturday evening at 8pm and a reconstruction of the combats of Hougoumont as well as the retreat to the Lion Mound on Sunday at 10am.

This is a musical event that offers the audience a wide range of genres. There’s a selection of all-time favorites as well as the sounds of young and new talent. Basically it’s a music festival that celebrates the best of what has been and what is to come. The first name in the line up for this year is the English rock band, Radiohead.

Since 1213, the famous festival of planting the May tree has been taking place in Brussels. A large procession departs from the Comic Strip Museum at 2pm and marches to the Grand Place and returns to the corner of the Rue des Sables & Rue des Marais where the tree must be planted before 5pm. The festivities continue well into the night afterwards.

Imagine a million begonias made into one single carpet. The famous Carpet of Flowers covers over 3,000 square feet right in the center of the Grand Place which has been listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO. Each year a different design is used, these begonias offer a wide range of vivid and glowing colors and can be best admired from the balcony of the City Hall, which is open to the public for this special occasion.

With over 280 free concerts at this music festival there's something for everyone. The diverse range of music styles include rock, world music, jazz, hip hop, folk and reggae. Also many different forms of artistic expressions use this as a meeting place including street theater, traveling groups, a circus and more.

The 'Chevalerie du Fourquet des Brasseurs' and the Belgian Brewers', association in collaboration with the City of Brussels organizes the annual Belgian Beer Weekend on the Grand Place. Many small, medium-sized and large Belgian breweries will showcase their best selections of beers.

Nearly ten years ago the I Love Techno event started at Ghent’s Vooruit nightclub, but now with over 35,000+ people in attendance the promoters have moved it to Flanders Expo, which fills five large halls with music and people. Each year more and more people show up, so make sure to get your tickets in advance if you plan to attend.

The Innova Fair or the World Exhibition of Innovation, Research and New Technologies at Brussels Expo is the event that appeals to the mad professor in all of us. Over 800 participants from 40 countries are brought together for this fair to showcase more then 1200 innovations and inventions. In attendance are the world’s more renowned researchers, inventors and official bodies from around the world. The world’s media always covers the event, hot on the trail of new technology and nutty inventors.

What could be more magical then Christmas in Medieval Bruges, with its cobbled streets, historic buildings and horses and carts rolling by. The stalls for the Christmas market on the main square forms a ring around an open-air ice rink. Shoppers browse the market amongst festive Christmas lights for elegantly-package chocolates, brightly-colored sweets and unusual hand-made decorations.

This event taking place in Brussels’ Centre Culturel de Joli Bois in December takes a step back in time. They are not talking about Play Stations and iPod’s at this Toy Party. This is a nostalgic two-day event that brings the magic of real toys to life and looks at the secret behind games that have brought smiles to children for centuries. Ranging from classic train sets, remote control cars and tin soldiers through to magic lanterns, Viewmasters, building bricks and yo-yos, it should keep little minds and restless fingers busy.