Culture beat: 2 October

The annual cultural celebration Nuit Blanche returns on Saturday for a late-night fiesta of artistic events under the umbrella theme of renaissance. It’s an opportunity to visit familiar and offbeat venues in a different light and experience community arts projects. There’s a variety of events, many in public spaces, from installations and performances to multimedia projections and concerts. The Brussels edition of the pan-European event traditionally attract a crowd of around 100,000. Organised by the city of Brussels, the event’s hub is the Sainte-Catherine area.

It’s an autumn tradition that returns to the capital every two years. During each weekend of October, the Art Deco and Art Nouveau Biennial opens buildings normally off-limits to the public. Discover the full scope of the two architectural and style movements in guided tours of interiors and key neighbourhoods. The 8th edition  of the event has chosen as thematic, places for public festivities. On Sunday, an Art Nouveau and Art Deco Collectors' fair is at primary school No 13 in Avenue de Roodebeek. Book ahead for the guided tours.

Make the most of the windfall season and enjoy the first-ever Apple Day at the Boitsfort hippodrome in Uccle on Sunday. La Journée de la Pomme celebrates organic and local apples in all their forms. Activities include a market selling and offering tastings of apple-derived products such as chutney, compote, juice, smoothies and a mobile apple press can juice your own home-grown fruit. Plus, stands, music, workshops and fun games for the kids. From 12.30 to 18.30, free entrance and parking.

The first flagship exhibition of the Europalia biennial opens on Wednesday (7 October) at Bozar with a unique exploration of the heritage of guest country Turkey. Anatolia. Home of Eternity brings together objects from 30 different collections, spanning 12,000 years. The major multidisciplinary arts festival then turns its attention to contemporary arts in Turkey in the second Bozar exhibition Imagine Istanbul that opens on 15 October. Recognising the significance of the city that straddles continents and cultures, it focuses on photography and Turkey’s renowned lensman Ara Güler, ‘the eye of Istanbul’. Contemporary Turkish and Belgian photographers also display their work, an example of one of the most important strands of Europalia, artistic collaboration. Over the next four months, the festival will stage 200 events around the country.

The Brussels arts powerhouse is also the backdrop for the Bozar Electronic Arts Festival from 8 to 11 October. Celebrating digital culture in all its ever-evolving forms, the programme fuses music, performance and visual arts by popular and emerging artists. Now in its fourth year, the event continues to attract an increasing number of visitors.

Outside Brussels

Stars of French-speaking cinema from all corners of the globe are flocking to Namur for the 30th edition of the International Festival of Francophone Film that opens tonight (Friday). The FIFF is the most important celebration of francophone cinema in Belgium. The week-long event has a long list of prestigious guests, including Vincent Cassel, Lubna Azabal, Louise Bourgoin, Nathalie Baye, and as coup de coeur, French actress and singer Vanessa Paradis. The anniversary edition focuses on film and music as well as cinema that looks to the future with projects for youngsters. The opening film this evening is the family drama Prejudice by Antoine Cuypers, a Belgian, Luxembourg and Dutch co-production, starring Nathalie Baye and Arno. Over the week, some 150 films will be screened, many in competition, plus there are numerous events for professionals and cinema fans. Pass for the week, €30.

The Wallonia capital is also hosting the ArtisanArt fair this weekend at Namur Expo. Providing a platform for local crafts, including jewellery, objects and gastronomy, the event includes two exhibitions, one on eco-designers, the second Explorer l’invisible, the result of research by academics from Walloon and Brussels’ universities. Until Sunday; free entrance upon registration.