Events 2015-2016

EVENTS

01/01/15 to 01/01/16

ANTWERP

01/01/15 to 01/01/16

REUNION. From Quinten Metsys to Peter Paul Rubens.

The prestigious exhibition "Reunion. From Quinten Metsys to Peter Paul Rubens. Masterpieces from the Royal Museum back in the Cathedral ", organized by the Cathedral of Our Lady and the KMSKA, evokes the cathedral interior from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries. In that period the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp has become a veritable treasure-house of religious art, painted and carved by celebrated masters. These works reflect iconographic evolutions and socio-economic developments over the centuries.

Visitor information Where Handschoenmarkt 2000 Antwerp Organiser Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp When

From: Friday, 1 January 2010 to: Sunday, 31 December 2017

Contact http://www.dekathedraal.be/en/tentoonstelling.htm info@dekathedraal.be

T: +32 3 213 99 51

F: +32 3 231 86 17

The Golden Cabinet. The Royal Museum at the Rockox House Visitors to the Rockox House in Antwerp will be able to see how an Antwerp art collection must have appeared in the Golden Century.

Visitor information Where Keizerstraat 10 2000 Antwerp When

From: Saturday, 2 February 2013 to: Saturday, 31 December 2016

Contact http://www.kmska.be/nl/tentoonstellingen/Nu/HetGuldenCabinet.html info@rockoxhuis.be

T: +32 3 201 92 50

F: +32 3 201 92 51

Plantin, Vesalius and Valverde: the marketing of anatomy The Plantin, Vesalius and Valverde exhibition. The marketing of the anatomy is a first step in the development of a new permanent design. At the heart of things is Christoffel Plantin’s publication of Vivae imagines corporis humani by the Spanish physician Juan Valverde Visitor information Where Museum Plantin-Moretus, Vrijdagmarkt 22 2000 Antwerp When

From: Thursday, 24 April 2014 to: Sunday, 24 April 2016

Contact http://www.museumplantinmoretus.be

Signed, the artist. A collection presentation The lives of the artists in the Middelheim collection, on both sides of the front, were harshly interrupted by the First World War, which also cut through their (early) careers much like a blunt axe.

Visitor information Where Middelheimlaan 61 2020 Antwerp When

From: Saturday, 3 May 2014 to: Monday, 14 September 2015

Price

Free entrance

Contact http://www.middelheimmuseum.be

Exodus, Fleeing the war At the outbreak of the First World War, some one million Belgians fled to the Netherlands while hundreds of thousands more escaped to Great Britain and France. This exodus is shown in the museum’s ‘Boulevard’, which highlights the search for a safe haven and, ultimately, the return home.

Visitor information Where Hanzestedenplaats 1 2000 Antwerp When

From: Tuesday, 20 May 2014 to: Thursday, 30 April 2015

Price

Free entrance

Contact http://www.mas.be

Allegory of the Cave Painting - Group exhibition ‘Allegory of the Cave Painting’ takes the Bradshaw cave paintings from Western-Australia as mental model. ‘Living pigments’ like red bacteria and black fungi permanently rejuvenate the colourful vividness of these 40.000 years old paintings. The paintings are as much a product of prehistory as they are made now. The exhibition assembles artworks and ideas in a polyphonic response to this radical contemporaneity.

Visitor information Where Middelheimlaan 61 2020 Antwerp When

From: Saturday, 20 September 2014 to: Sunday, 29 March 2015

Contact http://www.extracity.org

The Moderns. Art during the Great War Before the outbreak of the First World War, the futuristic works of Jules Schmalzigaug suggested progress, speed and technology while Rik Wouters’ art was a celebration of vitality and strength.

But the war came as a shock. This exhibition shows how artists and writers absorbed this shock during, and in the immediate aftermath, of the war.

Visitor information Where Jezusstraat 28 2000 Antwerp When

From: Saturday, 20 September 2014 to: Sunday, 11 January 2015

Contact http://www.kmska.be http://www.letterenhuis.be

Far from the War? Belgian immigrants in America during World War I In the early 20th century, during the years running up to the First World War, Belgian migration to the United States peaked.

Visitor information Where Montevideostraat 3 2000 Antwerp When

From: Friday, 26 September 2014 to: Sunday, 5 April 2015

price Free Contact http://www.redstarline.org redstarline@stad.antwerpen.be

T: +32 3 206 03 50

Panamarenko Universum The exhibition “Panamarenko Universum” provides a fascinating overview of the most important vehicles and objects which the Antwerp artist created.

Visitor information Where Leuvenstraat 2000 Antwerp Organiser M HKA When

From: Friday, 3 October 2014 to: Sunday, 22 February 2015

price

€8

Contact http://www.antwerpen14-18.be/en/content/museum-contemporary-art-antwerp panamarenko-universum

Ricardo Brey – the futility of good intentions First retrospective of this Cuban artist, living and working in Flanders.

Visitor information Where Leuvenstraat 22 2000 Antwerp When

From: Friday, 6 February 2015 to: Sunday, 10 May 2015

Contact http://www.mhka.be/

Expo Dries Van Noten For the first time in his career designer Dries Van Noten reveals his oeuvre in an exhibition.

Instead of a classic retrospective, the exhibition is a glance into the designer’s creative world.

To this end Van Noten was given access to the extensive Fashion and Textiles archives of Les Arts DĂŠcoratifs in Paris.

Visitor information Where Nationalestraat 28 2000 Antwerp When

From: Friday, 13 February 2015 to: Sunday, 19 July 2015

Contact

http://www.momu.be/en/Exhibitions/dries%20van%20noten.html

Antwerp Chocolate Week From 20 February to 1 March, the city of Antwerp is all about chocolate. Visiting chocolate lovers will have the opportunity to follow the tasting route.

Visitor information Where Grote Markt 2000 Antwerp When

From: Friday, 20 February 2015 to: Sunday, 1 March 2015

Contact http://www.antwerpenkoekenstad.be/chocolate-week/

Don Giovanni ‘As the hero of the opera, Don Giovanni is the denominator of the piece, he gives it its name as the hero usually does, but he does more than this: he is the common denominator.

Compared to his existence, all others are merely derivative.’ So wrote the Danish philosopher Kierkegaard, who, like many others, was fascinated by Mozart’s 1787 opera. ‘It is this absolute centrality that makes this work exercise the power of illusion more than any other.’ Does this work, the second joint venture by Mozart and the librettist Da Ponte, need any further introduction?

This ‘dramma giocoso’ can hardly be categorised: opera seria, opera buffa – Don Giovanni is universal, enigmatic, superhuman, mythical.

Visitor information Where Frankrijklei 2000 Antwerp Organiser

Vlaamse Opera Antwerpen

When

From: Tuesday, 17 March 2015 to: Thursday, 2 April 2015

Price

€ 14

Contact info@operaballet.be

T: +32 (0)70 22 02 02

Rubens in Private In the spring of 2015, a unique exhibition will be held on Peter Paul Rubens the portrait painter.

Even though Rubens is said to have disliked painting portraits with a passion, and painting portraits was not highly regarded in art theory either, Rubens is one of best portraitists of his time.

Visitor information Where Wapper 9-11 2000 Antwerp When

From: Saturday, 28 March 2015 to: Sunday, 28 June 2015

Contact http://www.rubenshuis.be/Museum_Rubenshuis_EN/RubenshuisEN/Rubenshuis EN-Exhibitions/Rubens-in-private.html

Scheldeprijs On the agenda during the sacred week between the Tour of Flanders and the Paris-Roubaix, there is the Scheldeprijs - the sprinters’ classic.

Visitor information Where Hanzestedenplaats 1 2000 Antwerp Organiser Flanders Classics nv When

From: Wednesday, 8 April 2015 to: Wednesday, 8 April 2015

Contact http://www.scheldeprijs.be/en

info@flandersclassics.be

T: +32 (0)2 303 35 00

F: +32 (0)2 303 35 54

La Juive Based on the life story of Rachel, La Juive describes a dislocated society that seeks its salvation in increasing extremism. As a baby, Rachel, born into a Christian family, is rescued from a fire by the Jew Eleazar. He raises the child as Jewish and does not tell her about her origins. When the girl falls in love with a so-called Jewish artist who turns out to be a Christian fighter, she finds herself in a pernicious vicious circle.

Visitor information Where Frankrijklei 2000 Antwerp Organiser

Vlaamse Opera Antwerpen

When

From: Wednesday, 29 April 2015 to: Saturday, 16 May 2015

Price

â‚Ź 11

Contact https://vlaamseopera.be/en#!/agenda/la-juive?mode=overlay info@operaballet.be

T: +32 (0)70 22 02 02

Antwerpen Proeft The Taste of Antwerp is the biggest culinary festival in Antwerp. The festival has been substantially growing every year and choses again for the top location ‘Waagnatie’ for this year’s edition.

The great selection of participating top restaurants, the beautiful location next to the Schelde, and the creative execution ( decoration, fresh herbs, wooden plates, etc…) make this festival one of the top culinary festivals in Belgium.

Visitor information Where

Antwerp, Waagnatie

When

May 2015 (Date not fixed yet!)

Flanders Fields For In Flanders Fields, the dancer and choreographer Ricardo Amarante was inspired by the poem of the same name by the Canadian military doctor and poet John McCrae.

Visitor information Where Frankrijklei 2000 Antwerp Organiser

Vlaamse Opera Antwerpen

When

From: Friday, 29 May 2015 to: Sunday, 7 June 2015

Price

â‚Ź 15

Contact https://vlaamseopera.be/en/#!/agenda/flanders-fields?mode=overlay info@operaballet.be

T: +32 (0)70 22 02 02

Summer of Antwerp Summer of Antwerp, is two monts of contemporary circus, innovative theater, special concerts and exciting outdoor movies. You can find the festival in the city, in places where you least expect it.

Often free or for little money and for all. Especially for young people, there are parties with DJs, comedy, music, theater, slam poetry ...

Visitor information Where

Antwerp, different locations

When From: June 2015 to: August 2015

Contact www.zomervanantwerpen.be

Antwerp Pride Antwerp Pride colours gayfriendly Antwerp with parties, sport manifestations, exhibitions and cultural activities.

Visitor information Where

Antwerp, different locations

When June 2015 (Date not confirmed yet)

Contact www.zomervanantwerpen.be

Beer Passion Weekend The ‘Bierpassieweekend’ (weekend of beer passion) is the time of the year for beerlovers and beerfreeks to discover the beauty of Antwerp and taste the enormous variety of Belgian beers.

Visitor information Where Groenplaats 2000 Antwerp Organiser Beer Passion Magazine When

From: Friday, 26 June 2015 to: Sunday, 28 June 2015

Contact http://www.bierpassieweekend.be sven.smets@beerpassion.com

T: +32 (0)3 645 72 47

Jazz Middelheim Jazz Middelheim, founded in the late ’60, has become an iconic jazz festival. The festival grounds in Antwerp are within walking distance of the famous sculpture park.

Visitor information Where Beukenlaan 12 2020 Antwerp Organiser vzw Jazz en Muziek When

From: Saturday, 8 August 2015 to: Tuesday, 11 August 2015

Contact http://www.jazzmiddelheim.be/en/ info@jazzmiddelheim.be

Rubens Market Antwerp’s beloved painter, Peter Paul Rubens, is remembered at the Rubens market festival, which takes place each year on August 15th, around the Grote Markt.

Visitor information Where

Antwerp, Grote Markt

When

15 August 2015

Petrus Alamire Music copyist and trader Petrus Alamire (Nuremberg, 1470 - Mechelen, 1536) was a scion of the Bavarian merchant family Imhoff and moved on already young age to the Low Countries, where he stayed at the Burgundian-Habsburg courts. He led a workshop for copyists and illustrators.

The world and work of Petrus Alamire are the Subject of a digital exhibition at the Antwerp Cathedral and the festival of ancient music Laus Polyphoniae, This festival is part of the famous Flanders Festival and will take place from 21 to 30 August 2015. Central to this project is the beauty of the manuscripts, their function, their meaning and richness of the early sixteenth-century music.

Visitor information Where

Antwerp, Cathedral

When

From: 19 August 2015 to: 11 November 2015

Laus Polyphoniae 2015 Laus Polyphoniae is the yearly summer festival of AMUZ: het jaarlijkse zomerfestival van AMUZ: heyday of ancient music and polyphony in Antwerp. In August 2015, the festival is devoted exclusively to the choir books of Peter Alamire. For this, the Alamire Foundation in the framework of the IWT-project “New Perspectives on Polyphony� will organize an exhibition and international conference on the Mechelen music copyist.

This conference is cooperating with international musicologists and performers.

Visitor information Where

Antwerp

When

From: 19 August 2015 to: 30 augustus 2015

Contact www.amuz.be

Laundry Day 2015 With more than 60,000 visitors, eleven stages and more than 100 DJs, Laundry Day is a big partyheld in the center of Antwerp and on the first Saturday of September. Techno, House, Drum & Bass, Urban, Hardstyle, Rave, Mishmash, Electro, Dubstep,... As long as it includes a steady beat, the genre is welcome at Laundry Day. Visitor information Where Ledeganckkaai 2000 Antwerp When

September 2015 (Date not confirmed yet)

Contact www.laundryday.be

Modeste Beer Festival The Modeste Beer Festival pays a tribute to Modeste Van den Bogaert.

He joined the Brewery De Koninck right after the war and his father untimely death.

He led the brewery for more than 50 years. Modeste also means modest.

That is why only small Belgian brewers are invited to this festival.

Visitor information Where Mechelsesteenweg 291 2018 Antwerp When

From: Saturday, 3 October 2015 to: Sunday, 4 October 2015

Contact

http://www.modestebierfestival.be/

Night of the proms Night of the Proms takes the audience on a journey through a rousing and familiar classical repertoire and timeless pop classics backed by a mind-blowing visual and aural setting.

Visitor information Where Sportpaleis, Schijnpoortweg 119 2170 Antwerp When

December 2015

Contact

http://www.notp.com

BRUGES

01/01/15 to 01/01/16

Ellen Harvey The Brit Ellen Harvey (b. 1967) lives and works in New York. Her work includes video art, installation pieces and paintings. She has had exhibitions all around the world, from Warsaw to Berlin, from Los Angeles to Prague, and in many other locations.

Visitor information Where Dijver 12 8000 Bruges When

From: Thursday, 2 October 2014 to: Sunday, 1 February 2015

Price

â‚Ź 8 (â‚Ź 6,00 (> 65 y., 12-25 y.)

Contact https://bezoekers.brugge.be/ellen-harvey-22 musea@brugge.be

T: +32 (0)50 44 87 11

F: +32 (0)50 44 87 78

14-18, The War in Pictures | Bruges at War Exactly 100 years after the German invasion of Bruges, the city of Bruges is commemorating the Great War with three exhibitions.

Visitor information Where Markt 7 8000 Bruges When

From: Tuesday, 14 October 2014 to: Sunday, 22 February 2015

Contact http://visitbruges.be/en/index.php/ toerisme.reserveringen@brugge.be

T: +32 50 44 87 43

OCMW visiting: The Birth of Christ, retable (framed altar piece), Brussels School Each year since 2011, the Sint-Janshospitaal has picked a different artistic collection owned by a Flemish OCMW (Public Welfare Organization), with the aim of highlighting this collection in a museum context through reference to a single work of art.

Visitor information Where Mariastraat 38 8000 Bruges Organiser Sint-Janshospitaal When

From: Saturday, 6 December 2014 to: Sunday, 7 June 2015

Price

â‚Ź8

Contact https://bezoekers.brugge.be/ocmw-collecties-te-gast-geboorteretabel-3

Bach Academie Brugge 2014 The fourth Bach Academy Bruges focuses on the young Bach and his time in Weimar and Köthen.

Visitor information Where ‘t Zand 34 8000 Bruges When

From: Wednesday, 28 January 2015 to: Sunday, 1 February 2015

Contact http://www.concertgebouw.be

T: +32 50 47 69 75

Bruges Beer Festival At the beginning of February, the 8th edition of the Bruges Beer Festival will take place in Bruges.

The international beer festival brings together over 70 breweries. You can taste over 300 beers at the festival and 20,000 people will join you in sampling this epic range of beers in historic Bruges.

Visitor information Where Beursplein 8000 Bruges Organiser Bruges’ Autonomous Beertasters vzw When

From: Saturday, 7 February 2015 to: Sunday, 8 February 2015

Price

Free entrance. Complete tasting package: € 10.00.

Extra tickets per consumption: € 1,50.

Contact www.brugsbierfestival.be

Tour of Flanders for cycling tourists Saturday 4 April 2015 will be another heroic day. Thousands of cycling tourists will tread in the footsteps of Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara and cycle the Tour of Flanders themselves.

Visitor information Where

Bruges and Oudenaarde

Organiser Sportinez & Golazo sports When

From: Saturday, 4 April 2015 to: Saturday, 4 April 2015

Contact www.rondevanvlaanderen.com info@golazo.com

T: +32 (0)11 45 99 54

Tour of Flanders Taking place this year for the 98th time, the cycling classic Tour of Flanders is one of the twelve world cup competitions. In-between the departure point in Bruges and arrival point in Oudenaarde, cyclists are faced with an exhausting ride across the hills of the Flemish Ardennes.

Visitor information Where Markt 8000 Bruges Organiser Flanders Classics nv When

From: Sunday, 5 April 2015 to: Sunday, 5 April 2015

Contact http://www.rondevanvlaanderen.be/en

info@flandersclassics.be

T: +32 (0)2 303 35 00

F: +32 (0)2 303 35 54

Holy Blood Procession, Bruges The Procession of the Holy Blood, which certainly dates back to 1304, is held every year on Ascension Day. Despite the changes that the procession has undergone throughout the centuries, the most profound spirituality prevails through the memory of the suffering of Jesus Christ.

Following the Jubilee (2000) the procession has been renewed and updated.

Visitor information Where Basilica of St Basil, Burg Square, Markt Square and streets in the center of Bruges 8000 Bruges Organiser Toerisme Bruges When

From: Thursday, 14 May 2015 to: Thursday, 14 May 2015

Contact http://www.holyblood.com/EN/0.asp toerisme@brugge.be

T: +32 (0)50 44 86 86

Bruges Triennial 2015 ForThis contemporary art triennial focuses on a single basic question: “What would happen if the five million visitors that come to Bruges each year suddenly decided to live here permanently?�

Visitor information Where Markt 1 8000 Bruges When

From: Wednesday, 20 May 2015 to: Sunday, 18 October 2015

Contact https://bezoekers.brugge.be/bruges-triennial-2015

Carillon Concert Bruges Evening concerts on Monday and Wednesday.

Visitor information Where Markt 8000 Bruges When

From: Monday, 15 June 2015 to: Wednesday, 16 September 2015

Contact www.brugge.be

Cactus Festival Cactus is a festival on a human scale, in a relaxed atmosphere, which deliberately dissociates itself from the trends towards ‘more’ and ‘bigger’.

Visitor information Where Minnewaterpark 8000 Bruges Organiser Cactus Muziekcentrum vzw When

From: Friday, 10 July 2015 to: Sunday, 12 July 2015

Contact http://www.cactusmusic.be/Concerts/Calendar.aspx?&lc=en info@cactusmusic.be

T: +32 (0)50 33 20 14

Moods! moods! sets the tone for the Bruges summer! For two weeks, Bruges city centre forms the backdrop for musical and other fireworks.

Visitor information Where Markt 1 8000 Bruges When

From: Friday, 24 July 2015 to: Thursday, 6 August 2015

Contact http://www.moodsbrugge.be/2014/info_nl.asp

MA festival – Festival van Vlaanderen Brugge One of the oldest specialist music festivals with an international reputation.

Daily concerts, workshops and lectures.

Visitor information Where

Different historical locations in Bruges

When

From: 31 July 2015 to: 9 August 2015

Contact www.mafestival.be

Kookeet Bruges and gastronomy have long been inextricable linked. With De Karmeliet***, Hertog Jan***, De Jonkman**, A’Qi*, Sans Cravate*, Den Gouden Harynck* and De Herborist*, Bruges counts no fewer than 12 Michelin stars and the city has every right to call itself the Mecca for gourmets.

At Kookeet over twenty top Bruges chefs introduce you to some highly diverse gastronomic gems.

The participating restaurants belong, without exception, to the very best culinary establishments, boasting one or more Michelin starts and a Bib Gourmand rating or high score from GaultMillau.

In the stylish tent village at Het Zand you can choose among a wide selection of culinary treats.

Last year the event welcomed over 100,000 visitors who indulged in the chefs’ delectable creations during the Kookeet weekend.

Visitor information Where

Bruges, ’t Zand (city centre)

When

September/October 2015

Winter in Bruges Experience the cozy Christmas atmosphere at the Christmas market in Bruges.

Visitor information Where

Bruges, Markt

When

From: 21 November 2015 to: 2 January 2016

December Dance (BRUGGE) This international dance festival for a general audience takes place every year at the Concertgebouw in Bruges. It presents a balanced programme of established artists and young, up-and-upcoming talent. Young makers are given the opportunity to display their creations at the December Dance Platform. In the margins of the festival, December Dance also presents readings, introductions and discussions. In 2015, the festival will be curated by Jan Fabre.

Visitor information Where

Bruges, Concertgebouw

When

From: 3 December 2015 to: 13 December 2015

Contact www.decemberdance.be

BRUSSELS

01/01/15 to 01/01/16

L’Atomium. From symbool to icon The new exhibition Atomium. It tells the history of this pavillion of more than 50 years old and how it became, with time, the symbol of the city of Brussels and of Belgium.

Visitor information Where Atomiumsquare 1020 Brussels Organiser Atomium When

From: Monday, 10 June 2013 to: Thursday, 31 December 2015

Contact http://atomium.be/Expo58.aspx?lang=en info@atomium.be

T: +32 (0)02 475 47 75

SAX 200 In 2014 the mim is mounting a temporary exhibition entitled SAX200 to mark the two- hundredth anniversary of the birth of Adolphe Sax (1814-1894), the celebrated Belgian musician who invented and built musical instruments.

Visitor information Where Hofberg 2 1000 Brussels When

From: Saturday, 8 February 2014 to: Sunday, 11 January 2015

Contact

http://www.mim.be

EXPO: 14-18, it’s our history!

For the First World War 100th anniversary commemorations, the Royal Army Museum is organising a major exhibition entitled ’14-18, it’s our history!’ starting 26 February 2014 Visitor information Where Jubelpark 3 1000 Brussels When

From: Wednesday, 26 February 2014 to: Sunday, 26 April 2015

Contact http://www.expo14-18.be info@expo14-18.be

T: +32 (0)2 549 60 49

Year of Flora The Galeries royales Saint-Hubert will be the setting for an exhibition of giant photographs, which will reveal the way 20 artists see the parks and green spaces of our capital city. The first big date of this, a year full of exciting events and discoveries with, among other things, conferences and series of guided tours.

Visitor information Where Grasmarkt 1000 Brussels When

From: Saturday, 1 March 2014 to: Sunday, 1 March 2015

Contact

http://www.year-of-flora.be/index.php/en/home

AfricaMuseum@BOZAR AfricaMuseum@BOZAR is the meeting space of the Royal Museum for Central Africa set up at the Centre for Fine Arts during its renovation until 2017. In addition to its Studio Congo (a workshop for young audiences) and a presentation of the architectural renovation model, this space also presents temporary installations on themes lined to the Africa Museum. The first installation features the publications of the Africa Museum since the institution’s creation in 1898.

Forty linear meters of books retrace the history and the output of this institution as research and knowledge centre. Next to a timeline, books are presented to the public for perusal.

Visitor information Where Ravensteinstraat 1000 Brussels Organiser BOZAR When

From: Friday, 14 March 2014 to: Friday, 2 January 2015

Contact http://www.bozar.be/activity.php?id=14914&selectiondate=2014-08-05&lng=en info@bozar.be

T: +32 (0)2 507 82 00

Glamour - 30s Fashion expo The Museum of Costume and Lace has drawn from its collections from the years 1925 to 1939 to present its finest pieces for a very colourful exhibition.

Visitor information Where Violetstraat 12 1000 Brussels When

Contact

From: Thursday, 3 April 2014 to: Saturday, 31 January 2015 http://www.musees.bruxelles.be

Mini-Europe remembers 14-18 The miniature park reminds its visitors of the Great War, providing a relaxed history lesson.

Visitor information Where Bruparck 1020 Laken When

Price

From: Friday, 13 June 2014 to: Friday, 31 August 2018 â‚Ź 14,20

Contact http://www.minieurope.eu/en/new/activities/what-s-new/2014 info@minieurope.eu

T: +32 (0)2 478 05 50

Christa Reniers - ‘The Power of Object’ Iconic objects and the best-sellers from 25 renowned designers will take you through the ingenious world of Belgian design, and unveil the alchemy of SUCCESS. Visitor information Where Koningstuin 1000 Brussels Organiser Cultuurcentrum ING When

From: Thursday, 4 September 2014 to: Sunday, 18 January 2015

Contact http://www.ing.be/about/showdoc.jsp?docid=145516_en&menopt=ArS|art|ex p&lang=EN art.department@ing.be

Picturing Brussels Between the Sacred Isle (‘Ilot Sacré’) and the European quarter, to the north of the canal and the south of the River Woluwe, live the people of Brussels. In joint tribute both to the 25 years of the Brussels-Capital region and to its own 25th anniversary, the Belgian Comic Strip Centre has set out to capture the image of Brussels as seen in the comic strip of the last 25 years (1989-2014).

With the support of the Brussels Capital Region.

Visitor information Where Zandstraat 20 1000 Brussels When

From: Tuesday, 16 September 2014 to: Sunday, 1 March 2015

Price

€8

Contact http://www.comicscenter.net/en visit@comicscenter.net

T: + 32 (0)2 219 19 80

F: + 32 (0)2 219 23 76

Eddy Merckx – Jacky Ickx No one has ever ridden a bike like Eddy Merckx – not before, not since. First across the finish line 525 times, he’s the most successful cycle racer of all time. Jacky Ickx’s career is one of the richest and longest in the history of motorsport. His list of achievements is unrivalled in its variety. In 2015, Eddy Merckx and Jacky Ickx both celebrate their 70th birthday, as well as their long friendship. So it’s high time for the first major exhibition about this pair of Belgian sporting legends.

Visitor information Where

Brussels, Trade Mart, Atomium Square

When

From: 6 December 2014 to: 17 June 2015

Contact

www.merckx-ickx.be

Pierre Leguillon Since the early 1990s, Pierre Leguillon works as an artist, curator and critic. He published Sommaire (between 1991 and 1996), and created projects for magazines such as the Journal des Arts, Art Press, and Purple. He has also photographed exhibitions, and in 1993 began using these images in art works that take the form of slideshows. Pierre Leguillon is currently living in Brussels and teaching at HEAD in Geneva.

Visitor information Where

WIELS, Volxemlaan 354, Vorst

When

From: 3 January 2015 to: 22 February 2015

Contact

www.wiels.org

BRAFA 2015 As the first gathering of the year for the international art market, BRAFA is always eagerly anticipated, attracting the interest and curiosity of many collectors and art professionals.

Visitor information Where Havenlaan 86c 1000 Brussels When

From: Saturday, 24 January 2015 to: Sunday, 1 February 2015

Contact http://www.brafa.be/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=1&lg=en info@brafa.be

T: +32 (0)2 513 48 31

Exposed Bodies : Feminism, Sexuality and the Body in the Work of African Women Artists The project of this exhibition is to work on issues regarding feminism, sexuality and the body in the work of a generation of African women artists starting from the 1990s.

Visitor information Where

WIELS, Volxemlaan 354, Vorst

When

From: February 2015 to: May 2015

Contact

www.wiels.org

Salon du Chocolat - Chocoladefeest The Salon du Chocolat in Brussels will attempt to decipher the fabulous power of this ‘magic potion’ which is so popular in the four corners of the world, through exhibitions, the famous fashion show of dresses made out of chocolate, not forgetting the creative demonstrations of chefs and chocolate-makers, and the discovery of new creations.

Visitor information Where Havenlaan 86c 1000 Brussels Organiser

Tour & Taxis

When

From: Friday, 6 February 2015 to: Sunday, 8 February 2015

Contact

http://brussels.salon-du-chocolat.com/accueil.aspx

Affordable Art Fair Brussels With more than 90 Belgian and international galleries present on the site, this unmissable art fair confirms its intention to put art within the reach of all budgets. Friendly atmosphere, dynamism and daring draw an increasingly wide public where enthusiasts just browsing and serious connoisseurs mix and mingle.

Visitor information Where Havenlaan 86c 1000 Brussels When

From: Friday, 6 February 2015 to: Monday, 9 February 2015

Contact

http://www.affordableartfair.be

Status Update Renaissance portraiture in the Netherlands - Portraiture bloomed to its utmost glory in our regions during the Renaissance . Rediscover the exacting art form in all its many capacities.

Visitor information Where Ravensteinstraat 1000 Brussels Organiser BOZAR When

From: Friday, 6 February 2015 to: Sunday, 17 May 2015

Contact http://www.bozar.be info@bozar.be

T: +32 (0)2 507 82 00

Contemporary Portrait Photography Twenty contemporary photographers reflect on the art of the portrait and compare their work with that of the painters of the Renaissance. A dialogue between past and present!

Visitor information Where Ravensteinstraat 1000 Brussels Organiser BOZAR When

From: Friday, 6 February 2015 to: Sunday, 17 May 2015

Price

0

Contact http://www.bozar.be info@bozar.be

T: +32 (0)2 507 82 00

Anima A not to be missed annual gathering of animated film: a festival that fills the carnival holidays and that enchants kids and adults alike. More than 100 screenings, an animated night, advanced showings and, by way of grande finale, the awarding of the Cartoon d’Or. Magical and unforgettable carnival holidays.

Visitor information Where Heiligkruisplein 1050 Brussels When

From: Friday, 13 February 2015 to: Sunday, 22 March 2015

Contact http://www.animatv.be/anima.php?pageID=1&ln=3 info@folioscope.be

T: +32 (0)2 502 70 11

Belgian art – between dreams and reality Re-opening of the permanent exhibition rooms with a new installation of the permanent collections.

Visitor information Where Museum Elsene, Jean Van Volsemstraat 71 1050 Brussels When

From: Thursday, 26 February 2015 to: Sunday, 31 May 2015

Contact http://www.museumvanelsene.irisnet.be/en/images/exhibitions/collection-trip/ catalog-cover.-belgian-art-between-dreams-and-reality/view

Gao Xingjian Gao Xingjian is a Nobel Prize Winner for Literature in 2000, playwright, translator, director and French painter. His work is to be exhibited at the Museum of Ixelles in Spring 2015. In defiance of his own country (with its Cultural Revolution and Tiananmen Square Incident) Xingjian’s work was hugely successful in France since 1995 and his novel Soul Mountain. The Museum of Ixelles takes you back to a meditative and majestic world inspired by traditional Chinese practices.

Michel Draguet, Director of the Brussels Museum of Fine Arts and passionate enthusiast of Gao Xingjian is curator of this exhibition.

Visitor information Where

Museum of Ixelles

When

From: 26 February 2015 to: 31 May 2015

Lucien De Roeck. From posters to letters To commemorate the centenary of his birth, the Museum of Ixelles pays tribute to Lucien De Roeck (1915 – 2002), creator of one of the most iconic posters of Expo 58. As a graphic designer, typographer, designer and creator of posters, De Roeck is a Belgian artist with an undeniably extraordinary talent. His work, characterised by an accuracy of line and irregular spirit, shows a purification of drawing and observant imagination that remains astonishingly modern.

Original posters, newspaper cartoons, sketchbooks, paintings and drawings will be exhibited to allow visitors to discover or rediscover this designer whose students at La Cambre (ENSAV) included Pierre Alechinsky and Jean-Michel Folon.

Visitor information Where

Museum of Ixelles

When

From: 26 February 2015 to: 31 May 2015

The Sultan’s World On 29 May 1453 the Ottomans took Constantinople. News of the city’s fall spread throughout Europe. The approach of the Ottomans coincided with the emergence of a veritable fascination with this highly developed culture and its scientific refinement. Artists from every corner of Europe travelled to the shores of the Bosphorus; trade flourished, and so did cultural interchange, giving rise to a great number of artworks showing this intercultural dynamic. The exhibition shows the lure of the Near East for Western artists and draws attention to the influence of the Islamic world on Renaissance thought. With works of Bellini, Carpaccio, Dürer, Titiaan and others.

Visitor information Where

Brussels, BOZAR

When

From: 27 February 2015 to: 31 May 2015

Contact

www.bozar.be

Du Paradis à l’Enfer ... Tapis volants et drones This exhibition is a remarkable correlation between the time-honored artistic theme of the flying carpet and the contemporary reality of the drones. The differences and similarities between the two provide enough material for an exhibition that looks at the world from the air.

Visitor information Where

Brussels, Villa Empain- Fondation Boghossian

When

From: 27 February 2015 to: 6 September 2015

Contact http://www.villaempain.com/

Retrospective Marc Chagall In partnership with the palazzo reale, the museum will provide an overview of the painter’s artistic career through a selection of 120 works. Special attention will be given to his Russian period at a time when his personal style stands out in an art scene buzzing with the cubist revolution.

Visitor information Where KMSKB, Museumstraat 9 1000 Brussels When

From: Saturday, 28 February 2015 to: Sunday, 28 June 2015

Festival Lezarts Danses Urbaines The ‘Dance’ part of the Lezarts Urbains Festival 2015 is based on creation, small structures and the best chorographical shows of the year from Belgium and from abroad. It gathers more than 200 professional dancers and amateurs on the ‘Palais des Beaux-Arts’ stage.

Visitor information Where Ravensteinstraat 1000 Brussels Organiser BOZAR When

From: Sunday, 1 March 2015 to: Saturday, 28 March 2015

Contact

http://www.lezarts-urbains.be T: +32 (0)2 538 90 20

Dissected anatomy. Plantin as a publisher of medical work Vesalius was born 500 years ago. His publication, De humani corporis fabrica libri, came as quite a shock to the world of medicine at the time. Other anatomical works immediately followed which imitated Vesalius’ example. Juan Valverde’s de Vivae imagines partium corporis humani, published by Plantin in 1566, is one of these.

Visitor information Where Ravensteinstraat 1000 Brussels Organiser BOZAR When

From: Friday, 6 March 2015 to: Saturday, 21 March 2015

Contact http://www.bozar.be info@bozar.be

T: +32 (0)2 507 82 00

Dissected anatomy. Plantin as a publisher of medical work Museum Night Fever Visitor information Where Koningsgalerij 1000 Brussels Organiser Brusselse Museumraad When

From: Saturday, 7 March 2015 to: Sunday, 8 March 2015

Contact http://www.brusselsmuseums.be info@brusselsmuseums.be

Les mondes de Thorgal It was in Tintin magazine that Grzegorz Rosinski and Jean Van Hamme created Thorgal, an epic family saga sometimes tinged with fantasy. This comic strip was to become tremendously successful - so much so that it spawned three spin-off series, Kriss de Valnor, Louve and La Jeunesse de Thorgal.

Visitor information Where

Brussels, Stripmuseum

When

From: 17 March 2015 to: 6 September 2015

Eurantica Antique dealers from all over Europe come together once a year in Brussels with their best finds.

From all corners of the world and all periods, rare objects will be there; looking around this fair will be collectors hoping for a good deal as well as visitors who simply like beautiful and authentic things.

Visitor information Where BelgiĂŤplein 1 1020 Brussels Organiser Artexis When

From: Friday, 20 March 2015 to: Sunday, 29 March 2015

Contact http://www.eurantica.be eurantica@artexis.com

T: +32 (0)2 740 10 30

Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker: Work/Travail/Arbeid The point of departure for the project Work/Travail/Arbeid is the simple question: What would it mean for choreography to perform as an exhibition? After all, the apparatuses of theater and museum remain so distinct—from their respective architectural arrange- ments and institutional significations to their horizons of expectation and protocol. While theater dance is traditionally performed for a fixed duration and with the dramaturgy of a punctual event, on a stage before a seated, frontally facing audience, the exhibition pres- ents artworks in a space framed by public opening hours, over a duration of several days, weeks or months, where visitors enter and exit at will. The re-conceptualization of what a live choreographed piece could be if entirely subjected to the time, space and conditions of the exhibition formed the basis for Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s development of Work/Travail/Arbeid.

Visitor information Where WIELS, Van Volxemlaan 354 1190 Brussels When

Price

From: Friday, 20 March 2015 to: Sunday, 17 May 2015

Contact

http://www.wiels.org/en/exhibitions/623/Anne-Teresa-De-Keersmaeker-Work/Travail/Arbeid T: +32 (0)2 340 00 53 F: +32 (0)2 340 00 59

€ 8 - € 5: students -18 years, teachers, seniors +60 - € 3: students 12-18 years, schoolgroups - Free: children -12 years, accompanied by their parents, every first Wednesday of the Month

Penthesilea Penthesilea, the proud queen of the Amazons ! After the accidental death of her sister Hippolyta, she took part in the Trojan War to prove the courage of the Amazons.

Visitor information Where Munt 1000 Brussels Organiser La Monnaie When

From: Tuesday, 31 March 2015 to: Saturday, 18 April 2015

Contact http://www.lamonnaie.be info@lamonnaie.be

T: +32 (0)2 229 12 11

Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF) For its 32nd edition, the BIFFF (Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival) returns to the Center for Fine Arts. A big premiere in 2014: the FRONTIERES project, the first co-production market between Europe and North America destined for film industry professionals.

Visitor information Where Ravensteinstraat 1000 Brussels Organiser BOZAR When

From: Tuesday, 7 April 2015 to: Sunday, 19 April 2015

Contact http://www.bifff.net info@bifff.net

T: +32 (0)2 201 17 13

Royal Greenhouses of Laeken The greenhouses are open for one fortnight a year just when the azaleas are in full bloom; the place is magical, the setting enchanting and the fragrances captivating.

Visitor information Where Domaine Royal de Laeken 1020 Brussels When

From: Friday, 17 April 2015 to: Friday, 8 May 2015

Contact

http://www.monarchie.be/palace-and-heritage/greenhouses-laeken T: +32 (0)2 513 89 40

Art Brussels Fancy discovering new talents or admiring the works of high-calibre artists? Then, come to this contemporary art fair which, every year, selects more than 150 gallery owners from over 20 countries. Stroll from stand to stand and see the fi nest creations of today.

Visitor information Where BelgiĂŤplein 1 1020 Brussels Organiser Artexis When

From: Saturday, 25 April 2015 to: Monday, 27 April 2015

Contact http://www.artbrussels.be/en artbrussels@artexis.com

T: +32 2 740 10 36

F: +32 2 740 10 25

Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition This prestigious international music competition was founded in 1937 to give this great music lover a showcase for talented young performers.

Visitor information Where Ravensteinstraat 23 1000 Brussels Organiser Queen Elisabeth Competition When

From: Monday, 4 May 2015 to: Saturday, 30 May 2015

Contact http://www.cmireb.be/cgi?usr=gay4d5aewy&lg=en&pag=1677&id=2402&

flux=53743453 info@qeimc.be

T: +32 (0)2 213 40 50

Kunstenfestivaldesarts Taking place in Brussels in May of each year, it comprises a selection of artistic work created

by Belgian and international artists. The festival targets audiences prepared to have their perspectives broadened and challenged. It aims to stimulate dialogue between the different communities living in Brussels, and both Flemish and French-speaking institutions participate in the project.

Visitor information Where

Brussels, different locations

When

From: 8 May 2015 to: 30 May 2015

Contact

www.kfda.be

Un Ballo in maschera ‘È scherzo od è follia ?’ A joke or pure madness, or is one really looking into the future in Un Ballo in maschera ? This work is a masterpiece of variety, of the fusion of differing stylistic elements, a work that relates first to the French opera comique and then to the Italian dramatic style, with characters who are among the most powerful Verdi ever created.

Visitor information Where Munt 1000 Brussels Organiser La Monnaie When

From: Tuesday, 12 May 2015 to: Wednesday, 27 May 2015

Contact http://www.lamonnaie.be info@lamonnaie.be

T: +32 (0)2 229 12 11

Gay Pride Very colourful parade full of wit, shows, concerts and surprises of all kinds. Belgian Pride is a giant fi esta of rainbow colours as well as an opportunity to highlight, with humour, the many prejudices that the homosexual community still has to face on a daily basis.

Visitor information Where Centre, surrounding streets & greater area 1000 Brussels When

From: Saturday, 16 May 2015 to: Saturday, 16 May 2015

Contact

http://www.thepride.be

Retrospective of Belgian Fashion The concept of the Retrospective is to introduce Belgian fashion boosted by Antwerp Six but also to focus on young and new talent.

Visitor information Where Ravensteinstraat 23 1000 Brussels When

From: Friday, 5 June 2015 to: Sunday, 27 September 2015

Contact

http://www.bozar.be

Jean Van Hamme Voyageur sans frontier He then abandoned his career overnight to devote himself to writing film and comic strip scenarios.

Van Hamme went on to become the author of huge best-sellers such as Thorgal, XIII and Largo Winch – 25 years old this year! – and also wrote many memorable works such as Epoxy, Histoire sans Héros, SOS Bonheur and Le Grand Pouvoir du Chninkel. His great strength lies in his skill at exposing the hidden face of power. An inveterate wanderer, Jean Van Hamme has travelled widely throughout the world, and heads off to research every location to which he sends his heroes on their adventures.

Visitor information Where

Brussels, Stripmuseum

When

From: 16 June 2015 to: 29 November 2015

Contact

http://www.bozar.be

Couleur CafĂŠ Festival A colourfully mixed, altruistic, tropical and spicy festival! A cocktail of music from here and elsewhere with more than 50 concerts in 3 marquees.

Visitor information Where Havenlaan 86c 1000 Brussels Organiser Zig-Zag When

From: Friday, 26 June 2015 to: Sunday, 28 June 2015

Contact http://www.couleurcafe.be festival@couleurcafe.org

T: +32 2 672 49 12

Ommegang: Brussels’ biggest religious procession “Free beer?” smiles a chap in green breeches, handing me a frothing plastic cup. “Sure!”, I beam back, feeling in a festive mood already. I stroll past him and enter Europe’s finest market square – the Grand Place. Tonight it’s transformed: stacked seats stand in front of the spired Hôtel de Ville and a red-draped medieval gallery has been erected before the Maison du Roi. Everywhere, people are hanging out of guildhouse windows, laughing and clinking glasses.

The stage is set for the Ommegang – Flemish for ‘walk around’ – a spectacular religious procession featuring over 1,400 performers that’s been played out on these famous cobblestones for nearly 500 years.

Visitor information Where

Brussels, Grote Markt en Zavel

When

30 June 2015 and 2 July 2015 (not confirmed yet!)

Contact

www.ommegang.be

Brussels on Sea Just imagine: a beach of fine sand, coconut palms, pétanque areas, cocktail bars, straw huts… and yet you’re in Brussels. This urban beach looks so like the South of France that its nickname is La Croisetteke.

Visitor information Where Quai des Péniches 1000 Brussels When

From: Friday, 3 July 2015 to: Sunday, 9 August 2015

Price

Free entertainment for everybody.

Contact http://www.bruxelleslesbains.be bruxelleslesbains@brucity.be

T: +32 (0) 2 551 54 70

Brosella Folk and Jazz This festival is a compendium of goodies! Not only is it free but it’s also held in a place full of charm: an open-air theatre right beneath the Atomium. Jazz, folk and other kinds of exhilarating music resonate on these summer evenings spent in the light of paper lanterns. And the little ones haven’t been forgotten either : numerous activities are organised just for them.

Visitor information Where Loopbruglaan 1020 Brussels Organiser De Vrienden van Brosella vzw When

From: Saturday, 11 July 2015 to: Sunday, 12 July 2015

Price

Free

Contact http://www.brosella.be/eng/brosella-folk-jazz info@brosella.be

T: +32 (0)2 474 06 41

Visit to the Royal Palace of Brussels When they go away on holiday, it’s a tradition for our monarchs to leave the doors of their palace wide open, and King Philippe and Queen Mathilde have no intention of departing from that rule.

Marble floors, crystal chandeliers, period furniture, not to mention the ceremonial room with the ceiling decorated with the elytra wings of scarab beetles. Magnificent reminders of the past and of contemporary artists are found side by side in this palace, the King’s “office”, which is a must-see of the summer.

Visitor information Where Royal Palace, Brederodestraat 16, B-1000 Brussels When

From end July 2015 To begin September 2015

Contact

www.monarchie.be

Floralientime For four days, the Brussels City Hall and the Grand-Place will be transformed into a garden of paradise in which visitors will be able to stroll surrounded by a thousand and one colours and fragrants. The majestic City Hall, which dates from the 15th century, will be the star of this event and can be explored in an original way. Internationally renowned floral artists working for the Ghent FloraliÍn flower show will be decorating the various rooms with their original creations following the latest decorative floral trends. The leitmotiv of this exhibition is  a reference to the colours of this historic decor which will serve as an inspiration for these artists. The Grand-Place will be the backdrop to a garden of relaxation where visitors will be able to stroll across a forest of majestic bay trees, a type of vegetation which is ideal for the embellishment of pavements, porches and urban balconies. Thanks to this subtle reference to urban greenery and to the Soignes Forest, lovers of the great outdoors will be led instinctively to the heart of this florid and flourishing festival.

Visitor information Where

Brussels, Grote Markt

When

From: 14 August 2015 to: 16 August 2015

Contact

www.floralientime.be

Memorial Van Damme The Memorial Van Damme is one of the premier track & field grand prix meetings in the world, with reigning olympic and world champions participating each year. World stars such as Carl Lewis, Sergey Bubka, Michael Johnson, Wilson Kipketer, Haile Gebreselassie, Merlene Ottey, Gail Devers, Marion Jones all showed brillant performances in Brussels. The Memorial Van Damme is also an innovative organisational concept, with live drumming during the long distance races and live music during the opening ceremony. The meeting traditionnaly closes with a concert and fireworks display.

Visitor information Where Marathonlaan 1020 Brussels When

September 2015 (Date not confirmed yet!)

Contact

http://www.diamondleague-brussels.com

Brussels Cycling Classic Start and finish of the cycling race Brussels Cycling Classic (formerly Paris-Brussels).

Visitor information Where

Brussels, Cinquantenaire Park (start), Atomium (finish)

When

September 2015 (Date not confirmed yet!)

Contact

www.brusselscyclingclassic.be

Belgian Beer Weekend An event to celebrate the Belgian and Brussels beer tradition in style: the blond beers, white beers, amber-coloured beers, fruit beers and strong beers. All these hops-based brews will be on hand for the entire weekend in the Grote Markt and streets around the Beurs where they can be sampled - always in moderation of course.

Visitor information Where

Brussels, Grote Markt

When

From: 4 September 2015 to: 6 September 2015

Contact

www.belgianbrewers.be

Brussels Museums Nocturnes 2015 To enjoy a different kind of autumn evening, why not experience a personal remake of the fi lm “Night at the Museum”? Minus the scary bits, plus the culture… Every Thursday from September to December, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., half a dozen museums open up their doors, workshops and behind the scenes for you: tailor-made guided tours to please inquisitive minds.

Visitor information Where

Brussels, different Museums

When

Every Thursday from 17 september 2015 until 10 december 2015

Contact

www.brusselsmuseums.be

Heritage Days Brussels The streets of Brussels are a real jigsaw of stunning façades and outstanding buildings of all styles. But how can you find out what’s hidden behind those walls? For a whole weekend, the general public can, at last, explore these interiors with their unexpected decor and ingenious fixtures and fittings. Based on the chosen theme which serves as the unifying thread each year, some usually private places invite the public in, to the great delight of the inquisitive among us.

Two good tips to help you view as many historic or unusual places as possible: an itinerary carefully selected from a programme that always has so much to offer, and … comfortable Visitor information Where

Brussels, different locations

When

From: 19 september 2015 to: 20 september 2015

Contact

www.openmonumentendagenbrussel.be

Fred Jannin: from comic strip to mulitmedia As the author of the series Germain et nous in the magazine Spirou, he is regarded as a privileged witness to the youth scene of the 1980’s. It was for this series that he created The Bowling Balls, a parodic rock group. Then followed a number of recording projects, including Zinno, which rose to success in the hit charts. Jannin subsequently enjoyed a parallel career as a humorist, appearing in many TV and radio shows to become a key figure in the Belgian media landscape.

Visitor information Where

Brussels, Stripmuseum

When

From: 22 September 2015 to: 28 February 2016

Skoda Jazz Festival Things are going well for this jazz festival, which is one of the top 3 in Europe. Its success is thanks to the famous names which are on the billing every year, including Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Nina Simone, Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck and our very own, national and international, Toots Thielemans.

Visitor information Where

Brussels, different locations

When

From oktober until november 2015

Contact

www.skodajazz.be

Ukiyo-e - Masterpieces of Japanese Print This exhibition provides a review of the art of the Japanese print from the early black-and-white beginnings (around 1720) to the sublime polychrome designs that, at the end of the nineteenth century and in the beginning of the twentieth century, were already sending Western collectors and artists into transports of delight.

Visitor information Where Jubelpark 10 1000 Brussels When

From: Friday, 2 October 2015 to: Saturday, 31 December 2016

Contact http://www.brusselsmuseums.be/en/exhibition/2525-ukiyo-e-the-most beauti ful-japanese-prints

Brussels Marathon & Half Marathon Some sportsmen and women maintain that the Brussels Marathon is one of “the 101 races to run before you die�! Perhaps not everyone’s experience of it is quite so thrilling but one thing is certain: every participant makes his race an occasion of fun and sharing (or.... of pain too), some running for themselves, others as a group or for a good cause. The Half Marathon appeals to the runners with not quite so much stamina and is run over a shorter.

Visitor information Where Grote Markt, 1000 Brussels When

4 oktober 2015

Contact

www.brusselsmarathon.be

Winterpret- Plaisirs d’Hiver in Brussels The City of Brussels came up with the idea of Winter Wonders to console those of us who suffer fromwinter blues! The magical illumination of the Grand-Place, the Christmas market of the European regions in the heart of the city, the merry-go-rounds on Place Sainte-Catherine, the big wheel and the ice rink at MarchÊ aux Poissons, dozens of stalls for stocking up on gifts and treats.

Visitor information Where

Brussels, Sint-Katelijneplein

When

From: 27 November 2015 to: 3 January 2016

GHENT

01/01/15 to 01/01/16

Het Lam Gods ont(k)leed!

Throughout the five years it will take to restore the “Lam Gods”, this permanent exhibition will examine the painting from a number of very specific angles. Exceptional fragments of film, X-ray photographs, drawings, artworks, instruments and models will unveil the Earth (the wooden base, the way the layers of paint are built up, etc.) and the Heaven of the polyptych.

The History and Various Researches into this stunning work are explained in a way never seen before. The showstopper of the exhibition is the full-size reconstruction of the altarpiece, complete with prints of the underlying and preparatory drawings.

Visitor information Where Vrouwebroersstraat 6 9000 Ghent Organiser Provinciaal Cultuurcentrum Caermersklooster When

From: Monday, 1 October 2012 to: Sunday, 31 December 2017

Price

€2

Contact http://www.caermersklooster.be/en/the-ghent-altharpiece-revealed caermersklooster@oost-vlaanderen.be

T: +32 (0)9 269 29 10

Restoration Mystic Lamb Work to restore the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by the Van Eyck brothers began in October of 2012.

It will be carried out over a five-year period. At the Museum of Fine Arts you are able to see the restorers at work behind glass. At the Carmelites Convent you learn more about the restoration.

STAM reveals the story behind the stolen side panel ‘The Just Judges’. The Mystic Lamb is still on show in St Bavo’s Cathedral.

Visitor information Where Fernand Scribedreef 9000 Ghent Organiser Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent (MSK) When

From: Friday, 15 November 2013 to: Sunday, 31 December 2017

Price

€8

Contact http://www.mskgent.be museum.msk@gent.be

T: +32 (0)9 240 07 00

Love Letters (1870-1930) How was love committed to paper and in the visual arts from the time of closed and hypocritical Victorian society up to the liberated Roaring Twenties? The subject of this exhibition seems simple, but it conceals a great complexity.

Visitor information Where MSK, Fernand Scribedreef 1 9000 Ghent When

From: Saturday, 8 November 2014 to: Sunday, 22 February 2015

Contact http://www.mskgent.be museum.msk@gent.be

T: +32 (0)9 240 07 00

Lightopia This will be the exhibition of the year in the Design Museum Ghent and will be carried out in cooperation with the Vitra Design Museum.

Visitor information Where MSK, Jan Breydelstraat 5 9000 Ghent When

From: Saturday, 15 November 2014 to: Sunday, 15 February 2015

Contact http://www.designmuseumgent.be

Light festival 2015 Every three years the Light Festival lights up the city with works by international light artists.

The city’s nights will become the backdrop for a surprising spectacle, ingenious installations, spectacular performances and beautiful events, all based on light. Get ready to discover Ghent’s historic sites and monuments from a different angle.

Visitor information Where Inner city Ghent

When From: Thursday 29 january 2015

to: Sunday 1 February 2015.

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is the opening race of the Spring Classics. Racers and racing fans have been eagerly lookming forward to this day for months. Contestants will be twisting and turning through the Flemish Ardennes, bumping over cobblestones and fighting the wind.

Visitor information Where Sint-Pietersplein 9 9000 Ghent Organiser Flanders Classics When

From: Saturday, 28 February 2015 to: Saturday, 28 February 2015

Contact http://www.omloophetnieuwsblad.be

info@flandersclassics.be

T: +32 (0)2 303 35 00

F: +32 (0)2 303 35 54

Julia Margaret Cameron In the spring of 2015, the Museum of Fine Arts will showcase the work of the British artist Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879).

Visitor information Where MSK, Fernand Scribedreef 1 9000 Ghent When

From: Saturday, 14 March 2015 to: Sunday, 14 June 2015

Contact http://www.mskgent.be museum.msk@gent.be

T: +32 (0)9 240 07 00

Great Belgian Beer Dinner The Great Belgian Beer Dinner is an exquisite culinary experience founded on a commitment to quality. It is a major event in a prime location, with excellent beers, top class food and... 5 of the world’s best beer chefs.

Visitor information Where Grote Huidevettershoek 10 9000 Ghent When

From: Thursday, 23 April 2015 to: Thursday, 23 April 2015

Contact www.lekkervlaanderen.be/en/the-great-belgian-beer-dinner-2014

Garden days Beervelde Twice a year the park of Beervelde hosts an open Garden Day with a different theme every season. The first of the openings takes place in May and the theme will be ‘Brazil’. The park, situated near the City of Ghent, in the very heart of an area famous for its horticulture, stretches out over 50 acres. The estate was designed in 1873 to emulate an English style of garden.

They are revamping the traditional English flowers into a Brazilian jungle display together with Samba dancers, Caipirinhas and Churrascos.

Visitor information Where

Beervelde (near Ghent)

When

F8,9,10 May & 9,10,11 October 2015

Contact wwww.parkvanbeervelde.be/en/home

Gent Smaakt Are you a foodie? Then treat yourself to a day of culinary treats in the heart of Ghent.

Many prominent Ghent-born chefs will treat you to delicious dishes and local producers will allow you to taste the authentic products the city loves to nibble on.

Visitor information Where

Ghent, City centre, Stadshal – City pavilion

When

From: 13 May 2015 to: 17 May 2015

Ghent Photo festival More information will follow!

Visitor information Where

Ghent, different locations

When

From: 12 June 2015 to: 30 August 2015

Lili Dujourie The work of Lili Dujourie (*1941) bridges influences by painters such as Jan Van Eyck, Jan Vermeer or Antoine Watteau with her own, highly physical sculptural approach.

Executed in marble, paper, lid, velvet or even films her works play with the sensuality and immediacy of materials, emphasize the performative aspect of the artwork, investigate the relationship between nature and culture, and give decorative and ornamental elements a central role. They speak of the passing (and the weight) of time and move between the figurative and the abstract, generating a sensation of melancholy and searching for an emotional understanding of space. Her exhibition takes place parallel at the MUZEE in Ostend and S.M.A.K. in Ghent.

Conceived in two acts on the land and at the sea it covers the artists’ work from the present day to its beginnings in the late 1960ies.

Visitor information Where

Ghent, SMAK

When

Summer 2015

Contact www.smak.be www.muzee.be

Ghent Jazz Festival The Gent Jazz Festival is spread over two weekends, one weekend for the pure-bred jazz fans and during the second weekend there is room for more fusion artists. Since its first edition in 2001, when it was called Blue Note Festival the festival became loved among a great deal of people as it welcomes over 35 000 people each year.

Visitor information Where Jozef Kluyskensstraat 2 9000 Ghent Organiser Jazz en Muziek vzw When

From: Thursday, 9 July 2015 to: Sunday, 19 July 2015

Contact http://www.gentjazz.com/en/ info@gentjazz.com

T: +32 9 324 45 30

Ghent Festivities After more than 160 years of existence, the Ghent Festivities have become one of the best festivals in Europe.

Visitor information Where Bij Sint Jacobs 18 9000 Ghent When

From: Friday, 17 July 2015 to: Sunday, 26 July 2015

Price Free Contact http://www.gentsefeesten.be

Drawing Dimensions Together with it institutional partner, the renowned Albertina in Vienna, S.M.A.K. presents an in-depth survey of drawing’s meaning in the contemporary arts. Much has been said about the medium: It is both the first activity of a child and a master discipline in the arts. Works from the last 10 years and many new productions by a group of outstanding international artists reveal both how the boundaries of the discipline were stretched to many directions. Amongst the more than 40 participants are artists such as Michael Borremans, Thierry De Cordier, Paul Noble, Vija Celmins, and many others.

Visitor information Where

SMAK, Ghent

When

Autumn 2015

Ghent Festival of Flanders In 2015, Ghent Flanders Festival will present its 58th edition. Attracting over 55,000 visitors each year, the Festival has become the talk of the music scene with events like “Avanti!” (a musical cycling tour), its Venetian ball, “KidsOdeGand” and “OdeGand” (the grand opening event). The festival’s success is in great part due to its unique mix of diversity and creativity.

Each year, over 180 concerts (classical and world music) are presented by more than 1500 (inter)national artists. Ghent Flanders Festival is different in that it is only content if it can present the very best.

Visitor information Where

Ghent, different locations

When

From: 12 September 2015 to: 26 september 2015

NL-BE Design Derby Dutch and Belgian design icons meet head-to-head in this exciting exhibition featuring 400 objects from the two neighbouring countries, including silver, glass, ceramics, furniture, fashion and automotive design. Exuberant Art Nouveau from Belgium is contrasted with its more restrained Dutch counterpart, and contemporary Belgian handmade showpieces enter into a dialogue with today’s sober Dutch Design. Following its showing at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in the summer of 2015, the exhibition will travel to the Design Museum in Ghent.

Visitor information Where

Design museum, Ghent

When

From: October 2015 to: February 2016

Contact

http://www.designmuseumgent.be/

Film Fest Gent Every year Ghent film festival presents some 200 feature films and short films from around the globe. The festival enjoys an excellent international reputation and is quite unique in focusing on the impact of music on film. The International Film Festival of Flanders Ghent is also the organizer and driving force behind the World Soundtrack Academy. The awards ceremony is inevitably the high point of the festival. Every year the festival also organizes concerts of film music and exhibitions which have a link with film.

Visitor information Where Leeuwstraat 40 b, 9000 Ghent When

From: 13 Oktober 2015 to: 24 oktober 2015

Contact

www.filmfestival.be

I Love Techno I Love Techno is an international techno event that takes place in Flanders Expo in Ghent, Belgium. Famous national and international DJs perform every year at this event. The last editions each attracted about 40,000 visitors from Belgium, the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, France, Ireland, Spain and Germany as well other parts of Europe and the rest of the world.

Visitor information Where Flanders Expo, 9000 Ghent When

14 november 2015 (not confirmed yet!)

Contact http://www.ilovetechno.be/

Lotto Six Days of Flanders-Ghent In November 2015, the Kuipke in Ghent will be firing on all cylinders again. For the 74th time, many cycling enthusiasts will be able to enjoy the six-day sporting excitement and sensation during the Lotto Six Days of Flanders-Ghent. A varied programme, filled with the perfect mix of top cycling sport & entertainment, will once again provide a unique experience and the usual atmosphere.

Visitor information Where

Kuipke Ghent

When

November (Date not confirmed yet!)

Contact http://www.lottozesdaagse.be/

War in Short Pants The First World War was more than just trenches and mustard gas. For the first time in history, the entire society was under arms as the war dominated every aspect of daily life. Even children were affected as, for many of them, the world changed when their fathers were suddenly gone or when they had to flee their familiar surroundings. And even through seemingly innocent channels like literature, toys and colouring books, the Great War entered their little worlds.

Visitor information Where Sint-Pietersplein 9 9000 Ghent When

From: Friday, 20 November 2015 to: Friday, 1 April 2016

Contact http://www.sintpietersabdijgent.be sintpietersabdij@gent.be

T: +32 (0)9 243 97 30

A curious collection from the Netherlands The Museum of Fine Arts puts special attention on its rich art collection from the 17th Century.

Visitor information Where

Museum of Fine Arts

When

late 2015 (Exact dates not available)

Ghent Winter Festivities Ghent’s city centre will be turned into a winter wonderland. The ice-skating ring will be installed under the City Pavilion. From the giant Ferris wheel in front of St. Bavo’s Cathedral you can enjoy a view of the city from the air. There is also a Christmas market with international stands at Korenmarkt as well as a real forest and naturally you can also have a drink and a bite to eat.

Visitor information Where

Ghent, Korenmarkt, Sint-Baafsplein, Poeljemarkt

When

From: 4 December 2015 to: 10 January 2016

LEUVEN

01/01/15 to 01/01/16

Vesalius. Imagining the body The Vesalius exhibition in M is the highlight of the project. It situates the founding father of anatomy in his time, the Renaissance, but also examines how, through the centuries, the image of the human body was clearly influenced by vesalius’ work.

Visitor information Where Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 28 3000 Leuven When

From: Thursday, 2 October 2014 to: Sunday, 18 January 2015

Contact http://www.mleuven.be/en/old-masters/coming-soon/vesalius/index.jsp

Goed Gekeurd, 6 eeuwen Brabants zilver In the spring of 2015 M - Museum Leuven brings the first exhibition that is fully devoted to silver with Leuven labels. M stands for the practical realization of the exhibition. For the substantive scientific elaboration of the project M collaborates with the Silver Sterckshof Province of Antwerp and the research units art science and history of the KU Leuven.

The exhibition offers an overview of almost six centuries silver production (ca. 1440-1940), from Gothic to Art Deco. She brings historical objects and works of art together with silver objects from Leuven / Brabant context, some of which have never been shown before.

Visitor information Where M-Museum, Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 28 Leuven

When From: 12 February 2015

to: 3 May 2015 Contact www.mleuven.be

Peter Buggenhout Peter Buggenhout (1963, Dendermonde) constructs sculptural installations out of industrial and found materials. At first sight, his works look like the remains of destroyed or abandoned structures. Beneath the constructions’ formal complexity, however, lies a carefully developed internal logic. This first major solo exhibition in Belgium presents a retrospective of his varied work from the late 1990s until today. The exhibition brings together works from existing series, maquettes, large dust sculptures, a series of new smaller work in display cases, and two large monumental installations.

Visitor information Where M-Museum, Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 28 Leuven

When From: 13 March 2015

to: 31 May 2015 Contact www.mleuven.be

Brabantse Pijl The closing race of the Flemish Spring and the last of the Flanders Classics. This challenging circuit with a few really steeps hills is the perfect race to lead up to the Ardennes Classics.

Visitor information Where Grote Markt 3000 Leuven Organiser Flanders Classics nv When

From: Wednesday, 15 April 2015 to: Wednesday, 15 April 2015

Contact http://www.debrabantsepijl.be/en

info@flandersclassics.be

T: +32 (0)2 303 35 00

F: +32 (0)2 303 35 54

Leuven Beer Weekend 2015 During the last weekend of April, Leuven will demonstrate why it’s known as the beer capital.

Visitor information Where Centre, surrounding streets & greater area 3000 Leuven When

From: Friday, 24 April 2015 to: Sunday, 26 April 2015

Contact www.leuven.be/beercapital tourism@leuven.be

T: +32 (0)16 20 30 20

F: +32 (0)16 20 30 03

Zythos Beer Festival The largest beer trade fair on the European continent will take place again in Leuven’s Brabanthal this year. Around 100 Belgian brewers, often present themselves, will introduce 500 beers to the public.

Visitor information Where Brabantlaan 1 3001 Leuven Organiser Zythos vzw When

From: Saturday, 25 April 2015 to: Sunday, 26 April 2015

Contact http://www.zbf.be/index.php?lang=UK&page=1 info@zythos.be

Hapje Tapje Hapje-Tapje is a culinary event with a rich tradition. The organisation has attracted 50,000 gourmets to Leuven city centre.

Visitor information Where Muntstraat & Oude Markt 3000 Leuven Organiser Leuvenement vzw When

From: Sunday, 2 August 2015 to: Sunday, 2 August 2015

Contact http://www.hapje-tapje.be info@leuvenement-vzw.be

T: +32 (0)16 22 70 99

F: +32 (0)16 29 53 70

Sarah Morris Sarah Morris explores in her series of paintings and films the dialogue between architecture and the underlying power, the use of symbols and communication techniques within an urban context.

Several cities are folded from within, inward and outward signs of structure and power are decoded and exposed (“Midtown” New York 1998 “AM / PM” Las Vegas 1999 “Capital” Washington DC 2000, “Miami” 2002, “Los Angeles “2004,” Beijing “2008,” Chicago “, 2011). In researching this dialogue between architecture and power, her paintings and films complement each other.

The back and forth game between these two media is an important aspect in her investigative work.

Visitor information Where M-Museum, Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 28 Leuven When

From: 22 October 2015 to: 22 January 2016

Contact www.mleuven.be

Internationaal Kortfilmfestival Leuven The 21th International Short Film Festival presents a wide selection of excellent short films, including fiction and animation, documentaries, experimental films and video clips. The emphasis is on the Flemish and European short film competitions. In addition, the International Short Film Festival Leuven spares no expense on children’s films, retrospective programmes and specials every year. All films are either in English or subtitled. The entire programme is available starting in early November at www.kortfilmfestival.be Visitor information Where STUK Naamsestraat 96, 3000 Leuven When

From end of November 2015 to beginning of December 2015 (Dates not decided yet!)

Contact

www.kortfilmfestival.be

Christmas Market Leuven Cosy Christmas market with more than 140 rustic chalets at the Ladeuze- and Hooverplein in the centre of Leuven.

Visitor information Where Monseigneur Ladeuzeplein, 3000 Leuven When

From: 10 December 2015 to: 20 December 2015

Winterseason in Leuven Listen to exciting winter tales, soak up the atmosphere of Leuven’s Christmas market, or daydream during an intimate chamber music concert in the gorgeous town hall. Winter in Leuven chases the first breath of winter from the city with a heart-warming programme.

Visitor information Where

Leuven, different locations

When

From: 10 December 2015 to: 31 December 2015

Festival of Flanders Flemish-Brabant The Festival of Flanders Flemish Brabant is organising two concert series in various locations throughout Leuven. NOVECENTO will perform seven concerts featuring “classics� and unknown gems from the marvellously musical twentieth century. TRANSIT creates and lets you hear 21st-century music. Leading musicians from Belgium and abroad, as soloists or in ensembles and orchestras, will perform on all stages.

Visitor information Where

Leuven, different locations

When

Dates not decided yet!

Contact http://www.festivalvlaamsbrabant.be/

MECHELEN 01/01/15 to 01/01/16

Rik Wouters & co Despite his short artistic career, Rik Wouters left behind a fantastic body of works.

The most extensive collection of his works is part of the collection of the KMSKA. They are unique Pleiades of an exceptionally high quality. The collection comprises 19 sculptures, 26 paintings, and 55 works on paper. It is perhaps the most representative collection of Rik Wouters’ works in the world.

Visitor information Where Steenweg 1 2800 Mechelen Organiser Stedelijke Musea Mechelen When

From: Saturday, 24 September 2011 to: Sunday, 31 December 2017

Contact http://www.visitmechelen.be toerisme@mechelen.be

T: + 32 15 294030

Mixed Emotions - contemporary art exhibition in the cultural centre, Together with Kunstpalais / St채dtische Sammlung Erlangen (Germany) and Municipal museum of Helmond (Netherlands).

Our society is more and more driven by emotion. Political discussions in talk shows, real-time journalism infused with sentiment, collective canonization and mass hate campaigns on social media; a rational analysis has become scarce in this emotionally driven media company.

Possible artists: Bas Jan Ader, Halil Altindere, Herman Asselbergs Yael Bartana, Colson, Berlinde De Bruyckere, Marlene Dumas, Sirah Foighel, Brutmann & Eitan Efrat, Claire Fontaine, Meiro Koizumi, Suzanne Opton, Santiago Sierra, Ryan Trecartin, Nasan Tur, Marilou Van Lierop, Bill Viola and Andy Wauman.

Visitor information Where

Cultuurcentrum Mechelen

Organiser Stedelijke Musea Mechelen When

From: 14 February 2015 to: 26 April 2015

Contact http://www.cultuurcentrummechelen.be/

The Lion and the Prince. Art historical exhibition 200 years Battle of Waterloo / creation of the United Netherlands, one of the most important turning points in Western history. The concept is not yet clearly defined and the realization is depending on the possibility of loans. More information has been asked and will be delivered as soon as available.

Visitor information Where

Hof van Busleyden

When

From: 29 April 2015 to: 29 July 2015

Hanswijk Procession Giving a positive answer to many questions of life, giving a “Yes” answer to God. All these answers were given to questions asked through the ages : Where do people go?

What are we on earth for? Dynamics, sounds and colors, dances and words, beauty and artisticity…. An attractive procession with about 2.000 actors and a lot of fellow workers.

Come and see!

Visitor information Where Grote Markt 2800 Mechelen When

From: Sunday, 10 May 2015 to: Sunday, 10 May 2015

Contact

http://www.hanswijkprocessie.be T: +32 (0)15 29 76 55

Contour 7: Biennial of Moving Image Contour presents film, video, installations and performances in special locations (Vlietenkelder, Kazerne Dossin & Hof van Busleyden) in Mechelen.

Visitor information Where Sint-Romboutskerkhof 2 2800 Mechelen When

From: Saturday, 29 August 2015 to: Sunday, 8 November 2015

Contact http://www.contourmechelen.be

Musica Divina Musica Divina is een najaarsfestival van Festival van Vlaanderen-Mechelen in de provincie Antwerpen.

Visitor information Where Centre, surrounding streets & greater area 2800 Mechelen When

From: Thursday, 17 September 2015 to: Saturday, 3 October 2015

Contact www.festivalmechelen.be

REGIONS

01/01/15 to 01/01/16

Heavy Traffic, railway traffic and other forms of transport in Poperinge 1914-1918 diorama, exhibition and application The city is in constant movement. Soldiers, goods, the wounded and refugees being brought in and transported: it all happens via an extensive network of railways and access routes. In the Gasthuiskapel (Hospital chapel) the diorama (1:76) shows you a glimpse behind the curtains. Trains arrive and depart, night and day.

From there you can connect to the outdoor exhibition. You walk into the landscape via an application. Compare images of the past and now. Discover the stories behind the railway relics.

Visitor information Where

Gasthuiskapel Poperinge

When

From: 19 September 2014 to: 5 September 2015

Contact www.poperinge14-18.be

Vikings!

Bloodthirsty, destructive raiders scouring the seas hungry for treasure. That’s how the Vikings are commonly portrayed. But were they really such murderous plunderers? Or were they also artists, traders and explorers? And what role did women play in the fascinating Viking society?

Visitor information Where

Tongeren, Kielenstraat 15

When

From: 18 October 2014 to: 15 March 2015

Hello, my name is Paul Smith The exhibition will offer a peek into the fascinating world of British designer Paul Smith and is an absolute must for fashion and design lovers. This exhibition attracted over 113,000 visitors to the Design Museum in London and broke a large number of records there. Hasselt is the only location on the European mainland that the exhibition will be visiting at the moment because it will then be moving on to Singapore and Tokyo. The exhibition “Hello, my name is Paul Smith� will also be considerably larger than it was in London and will include even more fashion. Paul Smith is deeply involved in the project and personally selected all of the silhouettes especially for us.

Visitor information Where Gasthuisstraat 11 3500 Hasselt When

From: Friday, 30 January 2015 to: Sunday, 7 June 2015

Viking Festival The museum and the city decided at the same time also that they also would stage a huge ‘Viking Festival’. This festival will contain a big Viking banket, an international Viking market, a torchlight procession, a strongest Viking competition, battle re-enactments, a miss Viking competion..., but also a dazzling finale event, with the burning of a huge Viking boat, fire(works) display, spectacular light and sound effects ...”.

It is a fact that the Vikings raided Tongeren, some 1.100 years ago. Bearing this in mind, the museum and the city decided to organize a big ‘Viking exhibition’, which will take place from 18th October 2014 to 15 march 2015.

Visitor information Where Archaeological Museum Tongeren, Kielenstraat 15 3700 Tongeren When

From: Friday, 30 January 2015 to: Sunday, 1 February 2015

Aalst Carnival The authentic carnival parade moves through the streets of the city centre on the Sunday and Monday before Ash Wednesday.

Bezemdans (broom dance) and ajuinworp (onion throwing) by the Gilles: carnival Monday “Voil Jeanetten� parade: Tuesday, when gratuitously made-up young men dressed as women with giant bras, old corsets, broken umbrellas, chamber pots, bird cages with smoked herring and prams prance through the streets of the city centre, teasing everyone Carnival effigy burning: Tuesday night, near the end of Carnival. Carnival-goers and many spectators gather on the Grote Markt. The Shrove Tuesday carnival effigy is set ablaze by the Prince of the Carnival, which is an emotional moment as it signifies the end of Carnival.

Visitor information Where

Aalst, City centre

When

From: 15 February 2015 to: 17 February 2015

Love between the Lines On 8 February, various authors and musicians bring poetry, literature and music to unique locations during Love between the Lines.

Other highlights include Hans de Booij on 31 January, Scala and the Kolacny Brothers on 1 February, Let Love Rule on 7 February, De Verwondering (Wonder) by Hugo Claus on 8 February and much more!

Visitor information Where

Centre, surrounding streets & greater area 8400 Oostende (Oostende)

When

From: Friday, 6 March 2015 to: Sunday, 15 February 2015

Bal Rat Mort The 117th edition of the biggest Carnaval Bal. Visitor information Where

Monacoplein 8400 Oostende (Oostende)

When

From: Saturday, 7 March 2015 to: Saturday, 7 March 2015

Price Individual tickets: â‚Ź 35 (price 2014)

Contact Need a hotel?

Mail info@visitoostende.be

E3 Harelbeke The E3 Harelbeke is an annual cycling race with start and finish in Harelbeke. The 130 miles long race is a preparation race for the Tour of Flanders.

The route is shorter but many of the climbs are tackled. The conditions are also comparable as cobbles, wind and climbs decimate the bunch. The route takes a large lap around East Flanders including 12 hills. Since 2012 the races climb the mythical Muur van Geraardsbergen.

Belgian cyclist Tom Boonen holds the record for the most wins in the race with five victories, coming in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2012.

Visitor information Where

Muarktplein 8530 Harelbeke (Harelbeke)

When

From: Friday, 27 March 2015 to: Friday, 27 March 2015

Contact

T +32 (0)56 72 25 90

Illustrated by the war, interpretations on the First World War During the summer of 2014, Gerda Dendooven, Randall Casaer and Kitty Crowther - three illustrators - will reside at the Kinderbrouwerij (Kids Factory). During World War 1 this building served as a bathing facility for 40,000 British soldiers who had their quarters at Reningelst.

Every illustrator will be accompanied by a young artist: Ward Zwart, Trui Chielens and Liesbeth De Stercke. Together they’ll create drawings inspired by specific stories on children during wartime.

These illustrations will be displayed at the Kinderbrouwerij. Some of those drawings will also be integrated in the surrounding andscape and visitors will be able to discover them with the help of QR-codes.

Visitor information Where Reningelstplein 8970 Reningelst When

From: Saturday, 4 April 2015 to: Wednesday, 30 September 2015

Price

adults: €5, family ticket: € 16, groups: on demand

The second battle at Ypres/gasattack Historic exhibition about the first lethal gas attacks on 22 April 1915, when chemical weapons were first used on a large scale in battle. In the month that followed, the Ypres Salient was further pushed back during the Second Battle of Ypres. At the end of it, the front line was barely 4-5 km away from the city centre. Tens of thousands were killed in this battle as well.

Visitor information Where

Grote Markt 34 8900 Ieper

Price

â‚Ź9

When

From: Saturday, 11 April 2015 to: Sunday, 23 August 2015

Contact

T +32 (0)57 23 92 20

International Storytelling Festival It is hard to imagine a more stunning backdrop for storytelling than a castle where, inside and outside, by day or by nightfall, you can enjoy a romantic, scary, exciting or amusing story (and many more too). At this International Storytelling Festival, an international group of 35 professional storytellers tell their own stories, those written by other authors or stories originating from folk traditions. There will be storytellers from Flanders, the Netherlands, Germany, France, the UK, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Canada and Ivory Coast. All genres will be included: travel tales and scary stories, fairytales, life stories, fables, stories by great authors. The week-long programme is aimed at young people in an educational context, higher education and adult education language departments. At the weekend there is a multilingual programme for adults.

Visitor information Where

Kasteelstraat 6B 3740 Bilzen (Alden Biesen)

When

From: Monday, 20 April 2015 to: Tuesday, 28 April 2015

Centennial commemoration of the first gas attack This is a solemn remembrance of the first extensive use of chemical weapons in a war, taking place in various locations along the Ypres Salient.

Visitor information Where Centre, surrounding streets & greater area 8900 Ieper When

From: Wednesday, 22 April 2015 to: Wednesday, 22 April 2015

Contact http://www.toerisme-ieper.be/

GoneWest: ANZAC Day 2015 On 25 April 1915 Australia and New Zealand entered the war, landing on the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli. This date has become known as ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Day. April 1915 also marked the first time the Canadian forces were attacked with weaponised gas, from Sint-Juliaan to Zonnebeke.

One hundred years after these events, a series of evening concerts will be organised as part of GoneWest, featuring musicians from Australia, New Zealand and Canada. These artists will draw inspiration from the historical events and perform new works in the grounds of the castle in Zonnebeke, site of the renewed Passchendaele 1917 Memorial Museum. Top artists will be invited to perform during these evenings.

Visitor information Where Ieperstraat 5 8980 Zonnebeke When

From: Saturday, 25 April 2015 to: Sunday, 26 April 2015

Contact http://www.gonewest.be/

Decoding the Front In April 2015 the Memorial Museum Passchendaele will inaugurate a remarkable exhibition about international communication during the First World War. It will tell the story of messengers, pigeons, dogs, telephony, telegraphy and wireless audio connections as well as the encryption of messages. For example, during this time, the Allied forces used the language of Choctaw Indians as a code because the Germans could not decipher their dialect!

In line with earlier exhibitions, the museum will display hundreds of unique items, but the main attraction will be original coding machines that visitors can use to send messages in Morse code and to call each other using authentic audio connections!

Visitor information Where Ieperstraat 5 8980 Zonnebeke When

From: Saturday, 25 April 2015 to: Tuesday, 15 December 2015

Contact

T +32 (0)51 77 04 41

The Smell of War, artistic circuit Smell artist Peter De Cupere is the curator of “The Smell of War”. He challenges an international cast of artists to immerse castle De Lovie in a palette of smells. The context of the exhibition is the first gas offensives in 1915 and the impact of that chemical warfare. “You automatically think of the smell of gas, but also fear, sweat, disease and death, hygiene situations, gunpowder, the musty and damp smell of the bunkers, the smell of danger, ... but to me also smell as memory. Smell affects olfactory memories strongly. With smells you can invoke conscious or unconscious specific reactions in the visitors. It is the perfect way to summon intuitive memories of the First World War too.” (Peter De Cupere) Participating artists: Peter De Cupere (Belgium), Oswaldo Macia (Great Britain), Clara Ursitti (Canada), Maki Ueda (Japan), Sissel Tolaas (Norway), Christophe Laudamiel (France), Gayil Nalls (US), Hilda Kozari, Alex Schweder, Hagen Betzwieser (Germany) e.a. Peter De Cupere also organises workshops (dates tbc) and he creates a smell artwork with the residents of De Lovie. This work will become an integral part of The Smell of War. Visitor information Where Krombeekseweg 82 8970 Poperinge When

From: Thursday, 30 April 2015 to: Monday, 31 August 2015 24 April 2015 - 31 August 2015 on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 2pm - 6pm.

Sea of Green, sound and light show The British producer Simon Chatterton creates the outdoor event “Sea of Green� in cooperation with Dark Spark. The production is based on a historical event: the first German gas offensive on 22 April 1915. If the wind direction was dangerous, the impact could be felt in Poperinge. Sea of Green aims to be a total experience. Sound art, pyrotechnics, projection and kinetic sculptures are the trademark of Dark Spark. The production is gripping and surprising, tragic and full of hope at the same time.

An acoustic experiment in memory.

An electromechanical lament.

An alchemical rendering of the madness of war ...

(Simon Chatterton) Sea of Green takes place in the historic setting of De Lovie. The castle domain was used as headquarters for the French and British army units during the First World War. Visitor information Where Krombeekseweg 82 8970 Poperinge When

From: Thursday, 30 April 2015 to: Sunday, 3 May 2015 Sea of Green will be performed only four times: 30 April - 1 - 2 - 3 May 2015, always at 9.30 pm.

Flanders Fields, final destination Poperinge Flanders Fields, final destination Poperinge is a new musical theatre production, a creation especially written and composed in remembrance of 1914-1918. The play will be staged on location, next to Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery. On this former hospital site, almost 11,000 victims are buried. The musical theatre production focuses on the stories behind the headstones. A professional cast of actors and musicians will create a meaningful night for all ages and stimulate reflection.

Visitor information Where Boescheepseweg 35 8970 Poperinge When

From: Friday, 1 May 2015 to: Friday, 31 July 2015

Opening hours:

January - July 2015

Performance times vary Price Adults: TBC Children: TBC Groups: TBC Trade: TBC Contact

T +32 (0)57 34 66 76

Toer de Geuze During this biennial event, the lambic breweries and gueuze blending houses open their doors to the public. There are free guided tours and, of course, a chance to sample lambic, gueuze, kriek and other lambic beers on the premises. The breweries and blending houses can be visited at leisure by car or bike, or a seat can be reserved on a tour bus that takes in various different breweries and blending houses. 2015 is the 10th edition of this event.

Visitor information Where Gemeenveldstraat 1 1652 Alsemberg (Alsemberg) When

From: Sunday, 3 May 2015 to: Sunday, 3 May 2015

GoneWest: Multimedia Show in Ypres To mark the end of the Second Battle of Ypres on 28 May 1915, a multimedia dance show will be premièred on the Sint-Maarten square in Ypres on 24 May 2015. This internationally acclaimed contemporary show will have deep thematic links with the gas attacks, which took place in combat for the first time. It will act as a reminder of where we have come from, who we are today and where we are heading in the future within the vulnerable structure we call ‘the individual’.

Visitor information Where Sint-Maartensplein 8900 Ieper When

From: Sunday, 24 May 2015 to: Sunday, 24 May 2015

The eighth RetroRonde of Flanders ‘The RetroRonde van Vlaanderen’, is a colourful and gastronomic cycling event with riders from all over Europe on nice retro bicycles and clothed to match. The RetroRonde is not a competition, it’s an enjoyable Sunday ride of 40, 70 or 100km (approx. 25, 43 and 62 miles) through the rolling landscape of the Flemish Ardennes containing some of those typical well known cobblestoned slopes. The bicycles should date from before 1987 and clothing should be from the same period. Food stops are nicely located and offer local specialities to eat and drink.

Visitor information Where Markt 43 9700 Oudenaarde Organiser Centrum ronde van Vlaanderen When

From: Saturday, 13 June 2015 to: Sunday, 14 June 2015

Contact

Registrations: Online via www.retroronde.be or on the day Group bookings and accommodation info: info@retroronde.be or +32 55 33 99 34

Beaufort 05 The basic content of Beaufort#5 will be linked to themes that are closely associated with The Great War 1914-1918. There is, for example, the historical fact of various sea battles during the First World War. Contemporary artists have been invited to reflect on the fact of a borderline. How do art and war relate to each other? What significance can be attached to borderlines or border areas?

Beaufort will be clustered on three main areas: East (Zwin, Knokke), Central (Raversijde, Ostend) and West (Domein Ten Boogaerde, Koksijde/ Provinciaal Domein De Nachtegaal, De Panne).

Visitor information Where

Graaf LĂŠon Lippensdreef 8 8300 knokke-Heist (Knokke-Heist)

When

From: Sunday, 21 June 2015 to: Monday, 21 September 2015 Beaufort will be clustered on three main areas: East (Zwin, Knokke), Central (Raversijde, Ostend) and West (Domein Ten Boogaerde, Koksijde/ Provinciaal Domein De Nachtegaal, De Panne).

World Championship BMX The biggest BMX event of the year will be held in Belgium in the charming city of Heusden-Zolder.

After 3 years of indoor racing. The World Champioships go back outdoor at a real race track.

The BMX track is situated in the heart of circuit Zolder. In this super competitive environment, the BMX top will battle for the rainbow jersey. Spectacle guaranteed!

Visitor information Where

Terlaemen 30 3550 Heusden-Zolder

When

From: Sunday, 21 June 2015 to: Saturday, 27 June 2015

Graspop The Graspop Metal Meeting (‘Graspop’ or ‘GMM’ for short) is an annual three-day heavy metal festival. The festival has been held at the ‘De Stenehei’ site in the Belgian town of Dessel since 2009.

Visitor information Where Kastelsedijk 2480 Dessel When

From: Friday, 26 June 2015 to: Sunday, 28 June 2015

TW Classic 2015 TW Classic is a music festival that comes up with a big stage, a wonderful, exuberant crowd and a selected group of artists with a big catalogue of hits.

Visitor information Where Haachtsesteenweg 3118 Werchter Organiser Live Nation Festivals When

From: Saturday, 27 June 2015 to: Saturday, 27 June 2015

Rock Werchter For four whole days, on three stages, the festival features the music industry’s latest and greatest.

Visitor information Where

Haachtsesteenweg 3118 Rotselaar (Werchter)

Organiser Live Nation Festivals When

From: Thursday, 2 July 2015 to: Sunday, 5 July 2015

GoneWest: The 30,000th Last Post The Last Post has been played under the Menin Gate in Ypres since 1928 to remember the 54,896 soldiers and officers of the British Commonwealth who are listed as missing in action.

Every day, rain or shine, the Ypres buglers, who are members of the local fire brigade, play their ode to the fallen. On 9 July 2015 this military bugle call will be sounded for the 30,000th time.

In fire service baracks all over the world the Last Post will be followed life.

Visitor information Where Menenstraat 8900 Ieper When

From: Thursday, 9 July 2015 to: Thursday, 9 July 2015

Win for Life Suikerrock (Sugar Rock) Suikerrock is Belgium’s largest city festival for all ages! Every year, Suikerrock succeeds in attracting some big names. In addition there are plenty of secondary activities going on.

Visitor information Where Industriepark Soldatenplein Zone 2 51 3300 Tienen When

From: Thursday, 23 July 2015 to: Sunday, 26 July 2015

Sfinks Festival Sfinks is a leading, three-day summer festival whose programme of exciting and often unpredictable music and festive fringe activities extends a hand to other cultures.

Sfinks takes young and old, families with children and adventurous music lovers on a journey of discovery into rich and diverse cultures. Sfinks is a friendly and hospitable festival where great music, good food and amazing marquees are the order of the day.

Visitor information Where Molenveld 2530 Boechout Organiser Sfinks Animatie vzw When

From: Thursday, 23 July 2015 to: Sunday, 26 July 2015

Contact

T +32 (0)3 455 69 44

Tomorrowland Yesterday is History, Today is a Gift, Tomorrow is Mystery. What started out in 2005 as a one-day festival has, in 2014, grown into a three-day festival.

Visitor information Where Recreation Area De Schorre 2850 Boom When

From: Friday, 24 July 2015 to: Sunday, 26 July 2015

Lokeren Festivities The 41th edition of the Lokerse Feesten occupies the trusty festival area on the Grote Kaai.

The festival site, surrounded by an increasing number of new apartments, has evolved in recent years to act as the backdrop for a mega pop fest where many genres of Belgian and international greats jostle for a place on the line-up.

Visitor information Where Grote Kaai 9160 Lokeren Organiser Lokerse Feesten VZW When

From: Friday, 31 July 2015 to: Sunday, 9 August 2015

Contact

T +32 (0)9 340 94 74

Dranouter Festival Festival Dranouter, known as Folkfestival Dranouter until 2010, traditionally takes place the first weekend of august. Approximately 80 000 visitors find their way to the little village Dranouter in West-Flanders. Dranouter is the biggest festival in his genre in Europe.

Everybody finds something he likes and every year some big artists are programmed.

Visitor information Where Dikkebusstraat 234 8950 Heuvelland When

From: Friday, 7 August 2015 to: Sunday, 9 August 2015

Contact

T +32 (0)57 44 69 33

Jazz Middelheim Jazz Middelheim, founded in the late ’60, has become an iconic jazz festival. The festival grounds in Antwerp are within walking distance of the famous sculpture park. The green surroundings of the Park den Brandt with a high quality infrastructure, including a playground for children and gourmet catering, attract not only a vast jazz crowd but also a lot of families with children who love to linger in the park and enjoy the great live music.

Visitor information Where Beukenlaan 12 2020 Antwerpen Organiser vzw Jazz en Muziek When

From: Saturday, 8 August 2015 to: Tuesday, 11 August 2015

Pukkelpop Pukkelpop is an alternative three-day music festival at Hasselt-Kiewit which is internationally recognized as the trendsetter among music festivals. Over the past years Pukkelpop has developed into one of the biggest alternative open-air festivals in Belgium. Pukkelpop has an eye for the best in underground music. On eight stages, Pukkelpop offers the most progressive, contemporary and alternative of today’s and tomorrow’s music.

Visitor information Where Kempische Steenweg 3500 Hasselt When

From: Thursday, 20 August 2015 to: Sunday, 23 August 2015

Procession of the Giants (Katuit) The Traditional Procession of the Giants takes place every year on the last Thursday of August.

The three dancing Giants of the Guilds, Indiaan, Mars and Goliath, play the leading part and are accompanied by over a 1000 costumed participants. It is a magnificent parade with unique floats, a lot of music and dance, choreography and folklore. The event ends with a spectacular musical fireworks show. Since 2005, the three Giants and the Procession feature on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Visitor information Where Grote Markt 9200 Dendermonde When

From: Thursday, 27 August 2015 to: Thursday, 27 August 2015

Europalia.Turkey For the 25th Europalia, Turkey will be presented to Belgians and Europeans.

Don’t miss the event, in Brussels from October 2015 to start of 2016! Europalia will be honouring Turkey’s culture through numerous events: exhibitions, concerts, dance, theatre, literature and cinema, in a dozen Belgian towns and in neighbouring countries. A theme, which will run throughout the event, will be decided and many methods of approach will be chosen within in!

In short, revealing and inescapable themes for those trying to get a better idea of what Turkey is really like. It’s a must-see!

Visitor information Where

Different locations in Belgium

When

From: 1 October 2015 to: 30 January 2016

Jeneverfeesten Hasselt Do you enjoy city festivals? With a host of (beautiful) people? With street parades, music and amazing street theatre? With waiters running for their weight in jenever? With a fountain sculpture from which water suddenly transforms into jenever? With a museum that distils its own jenever?

With a ‘Confrérie’ that knights distinguished citizens? With restaurants and eateries that serve exquisite culinary delights? With a jenever cruise, a ‘Borrelvrouwke’, jenever walks, speculaas demonstration and a jenever jazz suite? And much, much more?

Visitor information Where

Hasselt, City centre

When

17-18 October 2015

FLANDERS

01/01/15 to 01/01/16

Open Churches Day 2015 has been declared the International Year of the light. The Open Churches Day Foundation wants to put the houses of prayer in Belgium in the spotlight.

Visitor information Where

Different locations in Flanders

When

From: 6 June 2015 to: 7 June 2015

Contact www.openchurches.be

Heritage Day Visitor information Where

Different locations in Flanders

When

26 April 2015

Contact http://www.faronet.be/en/erfgoeddag

Heritage Days On Sunday 13 September 2015, Flanders will be celebrating Open Monuments Day, the major monuments festival, for the 27th time already.

Visitor information Where

Different locations in Flanders

When

From: 13 September 2015