Free summer outdoor pool to open in Anderlecht on 1 July

A free and temporary public open-air pool is to open for July and August on the embankment of Digue du Canal in Anderlecht, announced the association Pool is cool on Friday.

Called Flow, the basin will measure 17 by seven metres and be equipped with showers and changing rooms. The capacity of the pool is 200 swimmers per day, taking into account Covid-19 safety restrictions.

The pool will be accessible free of charge during afternoons with bathers able to reserve a time slot up to three days in advance. There will also be women-only sessions and free swimming lessons for children and adults.

Scheduled to open from 1 July to 31 August, organisers hope the pool will remain accessible beyond the summer season.

"Flow must become a prototype for the swimming areas of the future, and prove that outdoor swimming is necessary and possible in Brussels,” said the association in a statement. It also hopes to offer cultural activities such as concerts and evening film screenings, confinement conditions permitting.

For the project, Pool is Cool has joined forces with private and operators and received financial support from a number of public bodies, including the Flemish and Brussels governments, the Port of Brussels and the municipality of Anderlecht.

Photo: Maquette of the Anderlecht basin by Decoratelier