From Latin festivities to classical music concerts and a beer festival in Brussels' Grand Place, this weekend offers something for everyone.
Out and about
Belgian Beer Weekend, Grand Place, from Friday 1 until Sunday 3 September
Brussels' most iconic and historically important square will be transformed into a giant outdoor pub this weekend, where Belgian beers and their brewers, big and small, will take centre stage.
More than 500 beers will be on the menu over the three days, treating tourists and locals alike to the country's most beloved produce.
The 2022 edition of the Belgian Beer Weekend festival. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
Make sure to catch the Brewers' confraternities parades on Saturday and Sunday, showcasing how horses used to pull wagons stacked with beer through the city, for a touch of tradition.
Find more information here.
Boterhammen in het Park, Parc de Bruxelles, Friday 1 September
This week, the much-loved mini-festival Boterhammen in het Park concluded the summer with a bang, offering a number of free midday concerts by Flemish- or Dutch-language artists, set in the idyllic Parc de Bruxelles.
Credit: City of Brussels
Taking to the stage for the week's final performances are female duo Laïs, bringing a world full of Flemish magic, oriental sounds and rhythms, and Frank Vander linden, who is widely known in Flanders for his contemplative guitar playing and will play a number of tracks from an album to be released in 2023.
Find more information here.
Get your dancing shoes
Forest Sounds, Abbaye de Forest, Friday 1 September and Saturday 2 September
This environmentally-friendly family festival marks the perfect way to end the summer. After several successful editions in the Parc de Forest, organisers have moved the party to another of the commune's well-known landmarks.
Credit: Forest
The line-up focuses on the originality of the artists, from global sound to contemporary traditional and electro, and their "ability to move our hearts and our eardrums," it is impossible not to find your senses are awakened at Forest Sounds.
Find more information here.
Fiesta Latina, Bois de la Cambre, Friday 1 - Sunday 3 September
The country's biggest Latin American festival will return to Brussels to plunge its audience into the world of Latin American folklore and tradition. Over the course of three days, the capital's green lung will host fiery live performances by Latin bands and DJs.
Credit: Fiesta Latina / Thibault van Renynghe
As always, there is much more on the agenda during Fiesta Latina: take part in samba dance classes, marvel at one of the many travelling shows, or explore the 80 mercadillos.
Find more information here.
Under My Garage, Reset, Saturday 2 September
While the much-anticipated daytime Block Party has sadly been cancelled, the 10-year anniversary club night by Under My Garage is still going ahead as planned – and promises to be an unforgettable evening.
Credit: UMG
Resident DJs Catalina and Rey Colino will of course be joining the festivities, along with the Dutch superstar Mad Miran. "We have been reppin' underground club culture for 10 years and are not looking to slow down," in the words of UMG.
Find more information here.
Further afield
Nuits de Septembre, Liège, until Sunday 1 October
This weekend marks the opening of the 66th Nuits de Septembre, with this year's edition centering around "all that is possible." Since its launch in 1957, the month-long festival has made its way into the Belgian landscape as a major player in the world of early music, from the Middle Ages to the end of the classical period.
Credit: Nuits de Septembre
On Friday, tenors Emiliano Gonzalez Toro and Zachary Wilder will take to the stage to perform pieces from the early Italian baroque period. On Saturday, works that were considered to be by Bach but which have since been attributed to other composers will be performed.
Find more information here.
