Winter Wonders spreads out to north and east of centre

Just when you thought it was as big as it could get, Brussels’ annual Winter Wonders market, fair and related activities announces an expansion into other neighbourhoods. And it’s throwing in a weekly light parade for good measure.

Winter Wonders – with its stands of artisanal (and less-so) gift ideas, mulled wine and oddball carousels – already takes up a huge section of the capital’s centre, from Grand’Place to the Bourse area, snaking up to La Monnaie, over to Place Saint-Catherine and the Fish Market.

And this year it’s adding four additional ‘winter villages’, on Square Ambiorix to the east and in Laeken, Haren and Neder-Over-Heembeek to the north. The villages are temporary, running for three days each; dates can be found on the Winter Wonders website.

Other new additions to the annual holiday extravaganza are a silent light parade every Saturday, which will snake through the entire market. All ages can further get lost in The Maze, a light-infused labyrinth on Place de la Chapelle.

The guest country this year is Mongolia, and the guest city is Tirana, the capital of Albania. Yurts, typical Mongolian nomadic tents, will pop up around the centre to introduce visitors to the country’s local products, while Albania’s traditional wares can be found inside the Black Tower behind Saint-Catherine Church.

Winter Wonders opens on 24 November and run until New Year’s Eve.

Photo courtesy VisitFlanders