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Culture beat: 27 November
The city finally declares its seasonal festivities open. Brussels’ major tourist attraction, the Christmas extravaganza Winter Wonders, opens today (Friday) for its 15th edition. Security for the event is heightened and the market will close at 20.00 this weekend; 21.30 from Monday. The city's public transport network is running from 6.00 to 22.00 until further notice. Ready to welcome the crowds are hundreds of chalets selling mulled wine, delicious winter treats and an array of Christmas gifts and goodies. There’s an ice-skating rink for the young and non-accident prone, while the Grand Place is displaying a traditional Christmas tree from the Belgian Ardennes. For the first time, a Berber tent encampment has been set up in the pedestrian zone of Boulevard d’Anspach in honour of guest country Tunisia. Activities are centred around Marché aux Poissons, Place Sainte-Catherine, La Monnaie and the Grand Place.
The annual 3D sound and light show inside the Brussels stock exchange starts this evening (Friday), one day later than planned due to the security situation. Every evening until 3 January, from 16.00 to 22.00, the Christmas Lights show fills the building with strange sounds and mysterious visions. The video-mapping adventure is in French, Dutch and English.
This weekend sees the arrival of Saint Nicolas/Sinterklaas in various guises. The red-gowned, bearded-one, is scheduled to make his traditional appearance at Porte de Hal on 29 November between 13.00 and 16.30. In addition to his habitual handing out of gourmet treats, there will be an exhibition of first world war toy soldiers. He returns the following day (Saturday, 30 November) for his annual arrival at Brussels Port for a special appointment with city school kids (reservation necessary). He earns a brief respite before a city centre parade on 5 December, accompanied by the Order of Friends of the Manneken-Pis. He’ll wave to crowds from the balcony of the City Hall in the Grand‘Place at 16.30. On the big day itself, Sunday, 6 December, Saint Nicolas is heading to the Marolles district for another procession. It leaves from Rue des Tanneurs at 9.00 before heading through Rue du Lavoir and Rue Saint-Ghislain... If that’s too early for some, join a speculoos workshop at the Brussels Museum of the Mill and Food in Evere at 15.00, specially reserved for children up to 12. Reservation necessary via the museum. The busy man can also be found in shopping centres and certain stores around the country over the next few weeks.
With Saint Nicolas originating in modern Turkey, Europalia Turkey is naturally laying on special events next weekend. All children have free access to the exhibitions Anatolia and Imagine Istanbul at Bozar on 5 and 6 December.
Fighting food waste is a new event, food exchange café on 3 December. You can bring along any unwanted food and swap it for edibles brought by somebody else. From 19.00 at the Potemkine bar in Porte de Hal, Saint-Gilles.
English Comedy Brussels welcomes Frenchman Marcel Lucont on 8 & 9 December. Loquacious Lucont plays up to all the clichés of his native country: appearing on stage barefoot, a glass of red wine in one hand and habitually dressed in a velvet suit that wouldn’t look out of place on Serge Gainsbourg. The alter ego of comedian London-based Alexis Dubus loves to condescend and make fun of Brits. It’ll be interesting to see how he goes down in the intimate stage setting of The Black Sheep pub. German comedian Christian Schulte-Loh supports on 8 December, Nigel Williams on 9 December.
Get ready to book tickets from 10.00 on 4 December for Adele’s first concert tour in five years. The singer will perform at Sportpaleis, Antwerp, on 12 and 13 June.
Comments
Actually the tree on the Grand' Place is from the High Fens, not the Ardennes.