What’s on this week: 11 to 17 September

The contemporary art season officially launches in the capital with RendezVous - Brussels Art Week. Almost 100 galleries, museums, foundation and artist-run spaces open their doors to the public with a raft of initiatives including guided tours, openings, performances and get-togethers in galleries, art institutions and studios. Visitors are invited to tour the venues spread around the city, which are organised by district for easy navigating. There are also numerous off-piste activities, including the Opening Night on 10 September from 17.00.  10-13 September, multiple locations

Sablon Design Market is dedicated to vintage and design with some 30 stands from Belgium and France selling home decor, jewellery, fashion, vintage accessories and apparel, antiques and art. Experts are also present from AZ Auction for free valuations of visitors’ jewellery and artworks. 11-13 September, Friday 15.00-21.00, Saturday 9.00-22.00, Sunday, 9.00-18.00, Place du Grand Sablon

Urban sports get their place in the sun with the fifth edition of the capital’s showcase of urban sports at Cinquantenaire Park this weekend. There’s BMX Freestyle, 3x3 Basketball, Parkour and Skateboarding, as well as music, street art, sports initiations, entertainment and experiences for almost all ages. Urban Sessions attracts international athletes, emerging talents, artists, musicians and urban culture enthusiasts. 11-13 September, Cinquantenaire Park

Food trucks take centre stage at the Brussels Food Festival in Auderghem. Some 30 mobile kitchens and four pop-up bars serve gourmet treats from all over the world. Selected for their quality and originality, the global cuisine fiesta presents tasty dishes that can be enjoyed in a giant terrace set up for the occasion. A kids’ corner on Saturday and Sunday afternoon offers creative activities for little ones. 11-13 September, Boulevard du Souverain 183 (opposite Auderghem cultural centre)

Be prepared to get your groove on at Brussels Open Air Festival on Saturday when five of the capitals’ most iconic squares are transformed into open-air dance floors. For its third edition, 10 local dance groups and collectives stage programmes ranging from hip-hop to techno. Festival goers can either stay put in one location for the whole afternoon and/or evening or visit multiple venues with the Festival Pass. 12 September, 14.00-22.00, multiple locations

The hop season rolls on with the biggest craft beer festival in Belgium - Wanderlust. Organised by The Brussels Beer Project (BBP), the event is located in Place du Vismet near the local brewery’s base in Rue Antoine Dansaert, with 13 breweries from nine countries participating. Food trucks, DJs, a live brass band  and other musical entertainment all add to the atmosphere. Entrance tickets required. 12-13 September, Saturday 14.00-22.00; Sunday 13.00-21.00, Place du Vismet

Le Moche In Festival - Le festival des refuse.es serves as a platform for emerging theatre and cinema productions that too often remain unseen. In an act of defiance, the collective behind the event makes funs of its 'rejected' tag and stages performances, film screenings, concerts, workshops and encounters that bring together artists, professionals and audiences through an inclusive, participatory and accessible programme. 11-12 September, LaVallée, Rue Adolphe Lavallée 39 (Molenbeek)

To mark the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Belgium, a symbolic exhibition of landscape paintings is showing at the China Cultural Center. Pastoral Shanghai consists of more than 30 works that represent the region’s intangible cultural heritage. These depictions of agricultural scenes were first presented at an International Fair in Brussels in 1980. Now, 46 years’ later they return to the capital to highlight the dialogue between local traditions and contemporary creations. Free entrance. 11-23 September, Rue Philippe Le Bon 2

St Anthony’s Parish Church in Kraainem hosts a fundraising musical evening, Bon Voyage, to support two local good causes: Serve the City and the CHS Helpline. ‘Plentiful Productions’ presents music from around the world with tickets priced at €10 (€5 for children). Food and drink are available on site, cash only. Bookings encouraged via elisabethannaflynn@gmail.com or 0495 94 35 17. 11 September 19.00, Avenue des Combattants 23 (Woluwe-Saint-Pierre)

The International Study Group (ISG) returns for a new season of talks with a timely discussion on global warming. Senior programme director for climate interventions at the centre for future generations in Brussels, Matthias Honegger, presents: Solar Geoengineering: Navigating a Controversial Frontier. “We are on a trajectory that could reach around 3°C of warming this century, with rising risks of wildfires, extreme heat and disruption of vital climate systems. Politics will ultimately determine how societies respond to these challenges,” he notes. €15 for non-members. 14 September 10.30, Chateau Malou, Allée Pierre Levie 2 (Woluwe-Saint-Lambert)

OUTSIDE BRUSSELS

It’s heritage day season with free open-door events and activities in provinces around the country. Wallonia’s Journées du Patrimoine this weekend adopts a celebratory air with the general theme ‘spectacles’. Highlights include rarely open Liège Hotel de Ville, the medieval château de Balâtre at Jemappe-sur-Sambre and its artisanal market, Tournai’s 12th century corner tower, the Red Fort and guided tours at Villers Abbey. 12-13 September, across Wallonia

Wallonia’s seasonal programme ‘Patrimoine en Spectacle’ reaches its conclusion with a weekend of starry performances. There’s a laser show at Château d’Hélécine on 11 September; La légende du comte de Monte Cristal at Val Saint-Lambert crystal works (pictured) as part of its bicentenary celebrations all afternoon on 12 September; and historic reenactments and immersive entertainment at the Domain of the Battle of Waterloo on 13 September. 11-13 September, across Wallonia

In Flanders, Open Monumentendag on Sunday boasts a packed programme shining a light on people who keep heritage sites running – from architects and skilled workers to volunteers and owners. This year, Kortrijk (pictured) hosts the celebration with visits of the Tack brewery, the Deelfabriek bunker, a 1940s fire station tower and one of Flanders’ still standing open-air swimming pools. In total, a record 890 locations are participating in this year’s event with some 1,180 activities from guided walks to games. 13 September, across Flanders

Flanders Festival Ghent continues its music celebration with a packed programme filled with international artists that transcends classical music to incorporate contemporary, jazz and world sounds. Performances are staged in architectural gems, concert halls, churches and other atmospheric venues in the historic city-centre. If some concerts are already sold out, there are plenty of tickets remaining for other performances, including the ensembles I Solisti & Chorwerk Ruhr (pictured) in a reflective programme on global unrest, Against the War on 22 September (pictured). 10-27 September, across Ghent

Discover more upcoming events at The Bulletin's events page.

Photos: (main image) ©Sander Houthuys for RendezVous; ©Brussels Open Air Festival 2025/MARGOLAVIGN; Wanderlust ©Cliff Lucas Photo; La Légende du comte de Monte Cristal courtesy Val-Saint-Lambert; courtesy Openmonumentendag