What's on this week: 26 August-1 September

Richard Ruben has been a fixture on the francophone stand-up circuit for over 20 years. Now the celebrated Belgian comedian is tackling a new language: English. It’s not entirely foreign to the Brussels-born funny man. His father was British, and he’s travelled the English-speaking world extensively. Mind the Gap finds Ruben reflecting on the people he’s met along the way and in his rapidly changing hometown. The show is co-written by fellow comedian Christy Evenepoel. The evening’s opening act is Greco-Dutch performer Soula Notos, member of Utrecht-based comedy collective Het Comedyhuis.
30 August, 20.00, Black Sheep, Brussels

The shift from film to digital photography was a watershed moment for artists around the world. It was especially significant in China, where it coincided with the economic reforms and social transformations of the 1980s. China: Grain to Pixel, presented by the Shanghai Center of Photography, showcases 40 works by the country’s leading contemporary photographers and spans over 30 years. The period begins with artists coming to grips with new means of expression and ends with a mature art form reflecting the nuances of Chinese society in the 21st century. Read more about the exhibition here…
Until 10 September, China Cultural Centre, Brussels

The last weekend in August brings us the 4rd edition of the Brussels Games Festival which has grown from the lobby and public spaces of the FunKey Hotel to Cinquantenaire Park and the Bordieau Hall of the Royal Military Museum. The park in front of the arch will be transformed into a giant playing board for the weekend. Very important is that the festival will be open non-stop for 32 hours. All sorts of games will be available: party games, family games, strategic games, card games, miniature wargames, role-playing games and games from all around the world. Here's your chance to learn how to play Mölkky, a very tactical, very addictive Finnish version of bowling. There will be tournaments with prizes, a prototype zone to discover the board games of the future, and a market.
August 27-28, Parc du Cinquantenaire, free

If you're not familiar with the northwest of Brussels, the 140th Jette Annual Market is a great way to discover the area. The main market is on the Monday after the last Sunday in August during which you can wander along 3km of market stands selling a vast variety of edibles and non-edibles, in fact it's a huge food market and second hand market. But there's more: the market has spawned a number of events that go from the previous Thursday to Sunday including a Floralies, a flower concert, a midway, a comic book festival, a Cuban music concert, athletic tournaments, fireworks, an agricultural fair and much much more in central Jette and in the close by enormous and varied King Baudouin Park.
29 August 10.00-18.00. Other events 25-28 August

If you are keen on maps and charts, the National Geographic Institute is a place you owe it to yourself to visit. And this Sunday, in its idyllic setting at the Abbaye de la Cambre, is the perfect time to discover it since it is holding its annual "brocante" (second hand sale). A good number of the sellers are NGI employees so there will be much more than just maps and charts for sale.
28 August 8.00-18.00, Abbaye de la Cambre, Brussels

Fiesta Latina is back, with Samba- and Latino rhythms from Cuba to the Bahamas and from Venezuela to Mexico, fuelled with plenty of southern-inspired dishes and cocktails.
26-28 August, Bois de la Cambre, Brussels

Outside Brussels

The coastal town of Blankenberge boasts sandy beaches, an art-deco pier and this unique end-of-season procession. On the last Sunday of August the city organises a Flower Parade complete with large, ornate floats as well as marching bands, orchestras, dance groups and, of course, loads of locally cultivated flora. The tradition goes back over a century and draws some 100,000 spectators. This year’s theme is children’s toys. Visitors are invited to come early for a behind-the-scenes look at float preparation the day before the main event and to stick around the day after for a final exhibition before the floats are dismantled.
28 August, 14.30, across Blankenberge

The farmland and gently rolling hills of Pajottenland and the Senne valley are the picturesque decor of Weg Van Klassiek, a festival that combines soothing piano sounds with local flora and fauna. The headliners of this fourth edition are Brussels pianist Julien Libeer and a bunch of bats. The latter are hunting insects at the ponds of Gaasbeek Castle. Thanks to so-called bat detectors, their ultrasonic hunting sounds can be heard by humans. For nature lovers Weg van Klassiek offers a great opportunity to get acquainted with a talented young (he has yet to turn 30) chamber musician with a keen ear for melodies. For urbanites, it’s a chance to discover a lesser-known part of Flanders at near walking distance from the capital.