BANAD Festival
BANAD, the annual festival of Art Nouveau and Art Deco architecture that takes place across Brussels is particularly loaded with events this year as 2023 has been proclaimed the Year of Art Nouveau. Alessandro Porotto, Scientific Coordinator for Explore.Brussels fills us in. Weekends of 11&12, 18&19 and 25&26 March https://www.banad.brussels/en/
2m Mar 05, 2023
2m
Johnny Hallyday - the Exhibition
Belgian French rocker extraordinaire Johnny Hallyday had millions of die hard fans across the French speaking world. Now Johnny Hallyday the Exhibition brings his story and career to life in an exhaustive show. François Henrard, Director of Projects for Tempora tells us what we can expect. Through 15 June, Brussels Expo https://www.johnnyhallydaylexposition.com/ (https://www.googleadservices.co...
2m Feb 26, 2023
2m
Atomium - Restart/Centrale
Using the interiors of the Atomium as a canvas, the artists' collective Visual system has sculpted two very different and spectacular light and sound  environments, RESTART, which is temporary, and CENTRALE, which is permanent. Collective member Pierre Gufflet explains the differences. www.atomium.be (http://www.atomium.be/)
2m Feb 19, 2023
2m
Anima Festival
With the 42nd edition, Anima, Brussels' highly respected animation film festival is back completely live and in person. Co-Director Karin Vanderydt tells us all about the myriad screenings and special events taking place. www.animafestival.be (http://www.animafestival.be/)
5m Feb 12, 2023
5m
Peter Lindbergh
Credited with the invention of the concept of supermodels, Peter Lindbergh was one of the most respected fashion photographers. Untold Stories, the current exhibition at the Espace Vanderborght offers a unique perspective on his work, covering the totality of his career through photos, videos and very large formats. It's a unique show because Peter curated it entirely on his own. We spoke with ...
4m Feb 06, 2023
4m
The Gardens of Jules Buyssens
Jules Buyssens was one of the most prolific and respected landscape architects in Europe in the first half of the 20th century with over one thousand projects in Belgium and in France, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia and Switzerland. CIVA has put together an exhibition: Picturesque:Jules Buyssens Landscape Architect. Curator Ursula Wieser Benedetti tells us about ...
8m Jan 29, 2023
8m
Brafa
Now presenting its 68th edition at Brussels Expo, the Brussels Art Fair (BRAFA) is ranked as one of the top five art and antiques fairs in the world. 130 leading galleries from 15 countries  are represented, including 13 galleries new this year. On display will be furniture and art objects from the Middle Ages to the present, ancient and modern painting, contemporary art, design, sculpture, tri...
4m Jan 29, 2023
4m
Maison Hannon
The Art Nouveau masterpiece that is the Maison Hannon is being meticulously restored in all its facets, stained glass, ironwork, woodwork, stonework and painted murals. Phase 1 of the restoration will be complete June 1st when in collaboration with the Horta Museum an exhibition of the work of numerous Art Nouveau artists will open. But in the meantime on Sundays January 15 & 22 (reservations r...
4m Jan 08, 2023
4m
Manneken Pis's Quebec costume
It's been fifty years that  there has been a Québec Delegation in Brussels where it promotes Québec in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg and the European institutions, To celebrate, the delegation has offered the Manneken Pis his 1103rd costume. At the inaugural event we spoke with Geneviève Brisson, Delegate General, and with Jean-Claude Poitras, the artist who designed the costume.
5m Dec 13, 2022
5m
Isabel Ravet - Still Life
Isabelle Ravet is a rare contemporary artist in that she exclusively paints still lifes. This month she will be opening her Ixelles studio to the public. She spoke with us about her inspiration. http://isara-finearts.be/en/accueil-english/
2m Dec 04, 2022
2m
Brussels Artisan Workshops
Brussels is full of artisans creating and selling a variety of products. Thanks to a collaboration between the City, website Wecandoo and 50 artisans, you can participate in a workshop and go home with a handmade bag, chocolate, perfume or other creation that you made yourself. Alderman Fabian Maingain, organizers Katia Jacques-Serres and Edouard Eyglunent and artisan Kristina Zouein tell us ho...
4m Nov 30, 2022
4m
KBR Museum - the black manuscripts
The Dukes of Burgundy's collection of several hundred illuminated manuscripts and books are the foundation of the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR) but because of the deleterious effects of light on these priceless works of art they can only be exposed for 6 months at a time. The current rotation of manuscripts is a very special one in that the centerpiece of the exhibition is a black manuscript o...
5m Nov 30, 2022
5m
Brussels Cultural Guide 2023
The Brussels Cultural Guide 2023, also known as the Cultural Hotlist 100 is out with its highlighting of one hundred of the more than 25,000 events that take place every year in Brussels. The guide is published by the Fondation pour les Arts/Stichting voor de Kunsten and Director Guy de Bellefroid lets us in on what we can't miss next year.
2m Nov 20, 2022
2m
Ars Musica festival - Big Science
Ars Musica is one of the most important international contemporary music festivals.  From 18 November to 2 December, the 32nd edition is entitled Big Science and explores the relationship between music and science. Director Bruno Letort tells us what to expect. https://www.arsmusica.be/node/2022
5m Nov 13, 2022
5m
Shin Hanga: The New Prints of Japan 1900-1960
The Royal Museum of Art and History has an exceptionally well preserved collection of Japanese woodblock prints dating from before the 20tth century, and presented an exhibition selected from its collection in 2016-2017 which had a huge success.  However the museum has a very small collection of Shin Hanga which are the prints that were produced during the renaissance of the artform in the firs...
5m Nov 07, 2022
5m
On Display
The Design Museum Brussels' current show On Display is an overview of retail store design from the end of the 19th century to the very beginning of the 21st century. Curator Benjamin Stoz explains how these ephemeral interiors were an important area of experimentation that had a tremendous impact on architects' more permanent work.
2m Nov 07, 2022
2m
Cirque WTP
Cirque WTP's  (World Top Performers) shows sell out wherever they perform. We will get our chance to experience the magic as it is coming to Brussels to the Cirque Royal for the last four days of 2022 and the first day of 2023. Troupe member Asia Tromler tells us all about it. www.cirque-royal-bruxelles.be (http://www.cirque-royal-bruxelles.be/)
4m Oct 26, 2022
4m
Dirk Frimout - the first Belgian in space
This weekend Brussels is a top destination for science and technology as the I Love Science Festival takes place in sheds 1 and 2 at Tour & Taxis and in special science trucks parked by the sheds. There are dozens of activities offered in entertainment, workshops, exhibitions, VR experiences, labs and lots more for all ages. Belgian astronaut Dirk Frimout was on hand to answer questions and we ...
3m Oct 16, 2022
3m
Kinshasa at Kanal
While Kanal-Centre Pompidou, Brussels'  new Museum of Contemporary Art is being built in the old Citroën factory, a space across the canal that used to be a nightclub is now K1, the temporary Kanal-Centre Pompidou. It is hosting its first show, Kinshasa (N)tonga in which various Kinshasa artists use various media to show us their city and how they live it. Curator Estelle Lecaille explains. Ope...
3m Oct 10, 2022
3m
Fondation A Stichting: Women's Perspectives
To celebrate its tenth anniversary the A Foundation is presenting Women’s Perspectives, the work of 19 women photographers on four continents and in a number of different decades of the 20th and 21st centuries, offering a startling array of subject matter and techniques. For only the second time in its ten years, the photos on display come from founder Astrid Ullens de Schooten Whettnall’s pers...
4m Oct 04, 2022
4m
Belgium’s smallest beguinage in Anderlecht re-opens after renovation
Zahava Seewald, director of Anderlecht's Municipal Museums brings us up to date in regards to the complete restoration of Anderlecht's tiny béguinage and what the visitor can expect to see during the next few months before the completely reimagined museum is reinstalled next year. www.erasmushouse.museum (http://www.erasmushouse.museum/)
4m Sep 25, 2022
4m
Brussels' Flower Carpet 2022
The biennial event which is the flower carpet on the Grand' Place will be  back this summer. Flowers are very important to Belgium culturally and economically as Belgium is the 7th largest flower exporter in the world . Filip Fontaine, general director of VLAM, Flanders’ Agricultural Marketing Board, tells us why this is the case. www.flowercarpet.be (http://www.flowercarpet.be/)
3m Jun 26, 2022
3m
Argos: When The Angels From Above
Argos presents an unusual group show, When the Angels from Above featuring an international selection of artists. The focus on spirituality and healing revisits legendary gay cruising grounds, experimentation with psychedelic drugs and traditional medical practice in an animist community.  Founded in 1989, the arts space located in an industrial building in the Quais neighbourhood, was created...
3m Jun 26, 2022
3m
BRIFF
After two years of pandemic disruption the Brussels International Film Festival (BRIFF) is back to its original late June time slot for a fifth edition with a rousing program of comedic zombies, living icons of European cinema, a new generation of French directors, newly restored hidden gems of the Italian cinema of the Fifties and Sixties about love and sex, international and national competit...
5m Jun 19, 2022
5m
Brafa art fair
BRAFA, the Brussels Antiques and Fine Art Fair has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1956. It is now one of the art and antiques sector’s top 5 fairs. 115 leading galleries from fifteen countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Monaco, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates and the USA - 40% Belgian and 60...
5m Jun 19, 2022
5m
The Coudenberg in 3D
Coudenberg Palace was situated above Brussels for 800 years. It was the palace of the Emperor, the palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, it was considered the most beautiful  European palace and gardens until it burned down in the beginning of the 18th century, and was left in ruins by the Austrian authorities for 40 years after which they built the Royal Quarter on top of the ruins. Those ruins are...
3m Jun 08, 2022
3m
Renovating Gaasbeek Castle
The major restoration of Gaasbeek Castle is nearing its end. Closed for over two and a half years, the interiors of the castle are almost complete after which the furniture and artworks will be reinstalled with a new scenography. Architect Barbara Pecheur and director Luc Vanackere tell us what the project entailed. www.kasteelvangaasbeek.be (http://www.kasteelvangaasbeek.be/)
5m Jun 01, 2022
5m
Zinneke Parade 2022
Created for Brussels European Capital of Culture in 2000, the Zinneke Parade has become a mainstay of the city's cultural landscape. Every two years two dozen Zinnodes (think of the Krewes of New Orleans' Mardi Gras) rally around a theme (after such themes as Water, Disorder, Temptation, Fragility, Illegal and Wolves! this year's theme is Trompe l’oeil) and create an unforgettable, entrancing, ...
4m May 17, 2022
4m
JEM Puppet Festival
JEM, the most international of puppet festivals is back in Brussels with a sixth edition of thirty shows from twelve countries for five consecutive weekends starting 7 May. And there are two last minute additions: There’s Three, a puppet company from Ukraine that has travelled to Brussels to present Little Duck, an interactive show . All the proceeds from the two performances of Little Duck wil...
4m May 13, 2022
4m
Centenary of Brussels' garden cities
Among the events celebrating the centenary of the garden cities of Brussels, CIVA is holding an exhibition focussing on Le Logis-Floréal, one of the 25 garden cities built around Brussels. Curator Yaron Pesztat explains the hows and whys of this particular form of urban planning. Until 26 June. https://civa.brussels/en
5m May 02, 2022
5m
Panorama Festival
The Festival Panorama is uncovering the Mont des Arts' secrets and hidden gems. Isabelle Vanhoonacker, Vice President of the Mont Des Arts Association tells us what they have in store for us. https://panoramakunstberg.be/en/
3m Apr 22, 2022
3m
Brussels Short Film Festival
The Brussels Short Film Festival is celebrating its 25th edition with a retrospective of the best of the past and look forward to the best of the latest. Co-founder Céline Masset tells us all about it. http://www.bsff.be/en
5m Apr 22, 2022
5m
Alex Joseph
California native, award-winning Brussels chef Alex Joseph entered the pandemic with one restaurant and came out of the pandemic with two restaurants. We hear from him and from Fela Herzog, the chef at Alex's new restaurant. http://www.rougetomate.be/ https://joseph-resto.com/
4m Apr 03, 2022
4m
Brussels' best prawn croquette competition
The third edition of the Best Prawn Croquettes in Brussels competition pitted 19 chefs with food establishments (restaurant, canteen, food counter or food truck) in the Brussels region against each other for bragging rights for the year. We hear from organiser Olivier Marette of Visit Brussels, jury member food writer Caroline D'Hont and Sofitel chef Gabriele Petrucci. After a blind tasting whi...
3m Mar 27, 2022
3m
Kanal's first acquisitions arrive
Recently, the yet to open KANAL - Centre Pompidou Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art presented its first acquisitions. Jennifer Beauloye, Collections & Research Manager for the museum explains how they are building their permanent collection. www.kanal.brussels
4m Mar 20, 2022
4m
Fondation Frison Horta
Nupur Tron, founder of the Fondation Frison Horta brings us up to date on her ongoing restoration of the Victor Horta designed Hôtel Frison. https://www.foundation-frison-horta.be/
5m Mar 14, 2022
5m
Pop Masters
We have a unique opportunity to see the poster art of Keith Haring, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein together in one place, courtesy of Hamburg's Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe. Mario Iacampo who organized the show Pop Masters tells us what it entails. www.expopopmasters.be (http://www.expopopmasters.be/)
3m Mar 05, 2022
3m
A tribute to Freddy Thielemans
Roel Jacobs, Brussels historian, remembers his friend and colleague Freddy Thielemans. Freddy was a much loved mayor of Brussels who seemed to have been born for the job. Roel describes a man of many facets.
5m Feb 28, 2022
5m
Anima Festival
The 41st edition of Anima the Brussels animated film festival is taking place from 25 February to 6 March live and online. Co-Director Karin Vandenrydt tells us all about the very full program being offered this year. www.animafestival.be (http://www.animafestival.be/)
6m Feb 20, 2022
6m
BANAD Festival
Charlotte von Thaden of explore.brussels highlightsyearly  some of the many events of the 6th edition of the BANAD Festival, the celebration of Brussels' Art Nouveau and Art Deco heritage.
4m Feb 13, 2022
4m
Kanal presents its new artistic director Kasia Redzisz
Kasia Redzisz, the artistic director of the KANAL-Centre Pompidou Brussels Museum tells us her plans and the challenges she faces to transform the 48,000m² ex-Citroën garage into a world-leading contemporary art museum.
4m Feb 06, 2022
4m
A slice of Belgian life in 30 artworks at L’Expo Nationale
Do you ever go to an art exhibition and think you could do just as well? Belgians got the chance to prove that when Museum Pass put out a call last September for anyone who wanted to send them a photo of a work they had made themselves. The result is called L’Expo Nationale (https://nationaleexpo.museumpas.be/) , and it is being staged in 15 museums all across the country.
5m Dec 22, 2021
5m
Looking after your mental health as an expat
Living and working in another country can be difficult - and this time of year can be a challenge for some. Parminder Shah discusses expat mental health with Alessia and Nikki, two experts from the clinical team at CHS Belgium (https://www.facebook.com/CHSBelgium/?__cft__[0]=AZV3evOCtzAaUlruFhiyXKACZZWCC_z55ZnKMtneEPuh6pEEjSQlzOcCXvDvmYrGtfO4Ez7jfn0WHLWAGHKodBGgjD29gCnyUbS1j1-XOSSpHjn9gbbHc-fZw...
12m Dec 18, 2021
12m
Musée d'Ixelles
The Musée d’Ixelles has just won the 2021 European Art Explora Award which rewards museum projects that are conceived to attract visitors who don’t normally frequent cultural institutions. The winning Ixelles project is entitled Musée Comme Chez Soi (Museum at Home).  Claire Leblanc, director of the Ixelles Museum explains the project. http://www.museumofixelles.irisnet.be/en?set_language=en
4m Dec 18, 2021
4m
Kontexte
Beliris and Kanal have collaborated to equip the new pedestrian/cycling bridges over the canal linking Brussels city and Molenbeek with art pieces. They chose LAb(au) (Laboratory for architecture and urbanism) to create an interactive work on the Loredana Marchi bridge entitled Kontexte. Els Vermang of LAb(au) tells us what it's all about. https://www.lab-au.com
3m Dec 18, 2021
3m
The Brussels Beer Project goes lambic
The Brussels Beer Project is nearing the completion of their new brewery along the canal. In the meantime they have turned their original brewery on Dansaert Street into a lambic brewery, the first new lambic brewery in Brussels in 50 years. Co-founder Sébastien Morvan tells us why lambic is "the most magical of beers", how they are making the beer in the traditional way but are breaking some r...
5m Dec 11, 2021
5m
Notes From Brussels
Notes from Brussels, by Dutch filmmaker Nadine Van Loon, follows three women working for the EU – a French parliamentary assistant, a high-ranking German official and a Polish trade journalist – to try to make some sense of how women deal with the pressures of an all-consuming job.
13m Dec 11, 2021
13m
Royal Brussels Cricket Club
In our series on expat groups in Belgium - also broadcast on our community webradio - the Bulletin talks to RBCC Chairman Chris Hutchins and life-long cricket fan and mum Kim Revill, who coordinated a recently-published booklet about the club
24m Dec 05, 2021
24m
The Brussels Snowman and Carol Concert
Here are two festive events for the international community: a stage version of the beloved story of The Snowman and a concert of Christmas carols by a devoted group of musical expats. Organiser Mary Gow gives all the details.
9m Nov 27, 2021
9m
Schuman Lights Up
There’s a warm glow of lights and drinks in a massive tent during Schuman Lights Up (http://schumansquare.net/) . Hosted by Schuman Square, the event features festive lighting on and around Schuman as well as international initiatives inside the tent. Organiser Marion Wolfers explains all.
7m Nov 27, 2021
7m