The countdown to the scariest holiday of the year has started! Although it's another week to go until 31 October, you don't have to wait until then to start celebrating the occasion in Brussels. Here are some of our favourite things to do.
Helltopia, cellars of Tour & Taxis, starting 26 October
Get ready for 13 days of horror. Helltopia is breaking out of its slimy cocoon after a long break with a new concept. As usual, its Horror festival will include movie screenings, lectures, and podcasts, but the main attraction will be an exhibition entirely devoted to Pop Culture around Horror.
The expo takes visitors on a journey back in time to learn all about the infamous hackers, slashers and other horror movie heroes of the past century. Some will be in statue version, but others will be actors in cosplay. Not for the faint-hearted!
More information here.
Hangar Halloween, 28 October to 29 October
Looking to celebrate Halloween in true Brussels clubbing fashion? Then this two-day Halloween Indoor Rave is the event for you. Organised over two days and in two rooms located in an industrial warehouse just outside of the city, Hangar brings you 20 hours of pure musical madness.
The line-up includes acts to die for, including KÖLSCH, Jimi Jules, Antal, Cici & FIONA. More information here.
Lurking in Brussels’ cemeteries
Discover the dark side of the capital and stroll through its scariest cemeteries. From the oldest cemetery in Brussels (Laeken) to Uccle-Dieweg cemetery, which has been abandoned since 1958, wandering through the tombs and crypts (or Molenbeek's funerary galleries) is a perfect way to start your Halloween celebrations in a tame way.
Uccle-Dieweg cemetery. Credit: visit.brussels - Jean-Paul Remy
Perfect for those in search of a ghoulish experience at any time of the day.
Halloween at Mini-Europe, until 6 November
During the autumn break, skeletons, zombies and other creepy characters will turn the miniature world of Mini-Europe upside down. Spiders will invade the Eiffel Tower and zombies will create a crazy and humorous amusement park for the special occasion.
Immerse yourself in the spooky re-imaged Europe and learn about the fate of witches in the Middle Ages, the story of Frankenstein and the origins of the Halloween traditions. On 29, 30, 31 October and 1 November, live actors and extras will help bring the park to life even more. Fun for the whole family.
More information here.
Dia de muertos in the Marolles, 30 October to 16 November
Why stick to celebrating just one holiday? In the Bruegel Cultural Centre, the whole Marolles neighbourhood comes together to celebrate the Mexican holiday Dia de Muertos (The Day of the Dead), traditionally celebrated on 1 and 2 November.
Credit: Centre Culturel Bruegel
Take part in colourful workshops, experience the lively parades that will make you think you've been transported to the streets of a Mexican city, or attend a concert by the great Patricio Hidalgo. There will also be a wide range of kid-friendly activities for "los niños"!
More information here.
Macabre museums
Some of Brussels' museums are proof that the city is celebrating Halloween all year round, in its own way. Feed your imagination with this cultural tour, starting off with the Art and History museum's Ga’goh’sah, carved wooden Iroquois masks used to ward off evil spells and diseases.
James Ensor, Squelettes se disputant un hareng-saur (1891). Credit: Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Bruxelles
Then head to the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium to marvel at James Ensor's painting depicting the battle between a pair of skeletons over a herringbone. Don't forget to stop off at the Wiertz Museum, showcasing Antoine Wiertz's frightening scenes and dramatic subjects.
