Discover the cultural awakening in Belgium, as more museums embrace free admissions;
✔ Hainaut dominates with the highest concentration of free museums
✔ Brussels boasts 32 museums with varied free access schedules
✔ Museums are increasingly introducing free entry all week, reflecting a deeper commitment to the initiative
The number of museums in Brussels and Wallonia that open their doors to the public for free on the first Sunday of the month has more than tripled in the past decade.
During the 2023-2024 season, a total of 160 museums in the French-speaking Community will be open to the public free of charge every first Sunday of the month, the organisation Arts & Publics reported on Wednesday. Of these, 33 are free to enter on all the days of the week.
"Free admission is key to opening the doors to the arts and culture," the organisation noted in a press release announcing the news.
The initiative to open museums every first Sunday of the month was introduced in 2012 for all museum institutions recognised by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. By 2013, just under 50 locations were participating and in 2014 more than 100 were taking part. For the last four years this number has been around 155.
While 90 museums and museum institutions recognised by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation are now obliged to offer free admission, 70 museums in Brussels and Wallonia are offering it on their own initiative.
Although the measure only requires museums to give free access to permanent exhibitions, most also offer free admission to temporary exhibitions and spaces.
Where are the most free museums?
When viewed on a map, the province of Hainaut has the greatest concentration of free museums on the first Sunday of the month.
In the Brussels-Capital Region, a total of 32 museums are on the list, including one permanent exhibition and two gardens. Five of the capital's museums and two exhibitions are always free, while eight museums are free every first Wednesday of the month.
Find the full list of free museums here.
Arts & Publics noted that more museums outside the Community are free on the first Sunday of the month, including seven in the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis. Others are free on the first Wednesday of the month, while others are free every day of the year. "Putting all these places together, our guide has 186 free addresses."
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In Flanders, the principle of museums opening up their doors for free on certain days is not yet well established, mainly because there is no decree to this end. However, in some cities, museums are also offering it on their own initiative: in Kortrijk, for example, everyone can visit the Broelmuseum and Kortrijk 1302 for free on the first Sunday of the month.
In other cities such as Ghent, Ypres and Antwerp, a series of museums are only open to residents on certain days of the month. On the region's Heritage Day (Erfgoeddag, usually in April) and Open Monuments Day (usually in September), more museums offer free entry.
