Normal summer weather has been restored – without the cloud and rain so far – for the last weekend of the school year for many of us.
Ixelles will be full of street theatre, Auderghem’s Rouge-Cloître will have a French-speaking summer theatre festival and the Brosella music festival will be relieved not to be sending its audience home early as Couleur Café had to do last Saturday. The drop-in stay-as-long-as-you-like option of the weekend is the free Bruxsel Ludik games festival at the Cinquantenaire park.
If it’s action you want, at the miniature scale, the tiny steam train in Forest will be on a marathon 12-hour schedule for charity. Should you wish for a quieter summer weekend, there’s a book trail around the independent English-speaking booksellers of Ixelles and Saint-Gilles on Saturday and a storytelling walk in a park on Sunday.
Festival performances
Nayad street festival, Ixelles – Friday, Saturday & Sunday
Summer street theatre in Ixelles centres around the three-day Nayad festival, based in Place Sainte-Croix where there’ll be some shows, a small funfair and a bistro.
Credit: Nayad
It should be only a jumping-off point to wander across the commune to check out performances at Flagey, les Étangs and Fernand Cocq. Most shows are free and don’t need booking ahead. The two exceptions are Oyez, a "joyously absurd" comedy at 14:00 on Saturday and Sunday, and Nour, a mix of theatre, circus, and poetry set in the future, which will run at 18:00 on both days.
Tickets are sold on a "pay what you can" model where you're encouraged to pay more to support the event and other visitors if you can. If your small people can stay up late, the fire performance on Friday night looks fun.
Find more information here.
Théâtre de la Parole, Rouge-Cloître, Auderghem – Saturday, 11:00-17:00
The French spoken-word theatre wraps up its summer festival with a family-focused day of shows. It starts at 11:00 with Riquiquis, a musical storytelling show for very small children up to the age of five.
Older siblings and parents might want to check out a parallel urban gymnastics show, Gymnazein, at the playground of the promenade verte, where the actors will be moving around the grounds. That runs at 11:00 and at 15:00.
Credit: Théâtre de la Parole
There's a second slew of shows at 15:00 where the clear highlight is Coeur de Pirate for six years and up, which also involves pancakes and hot chocolate. One interesting show is a puppet performance for children from seven years old that aims to help with mourning, Alamor – Alavie.
Younger children up to 3 years old could opt for a movement-art show, Moments à Sentir. A Victor-Hugo flavoured play, Le Roi Se Marre, is intended for 13 years and up, and there's also a comic singing aristocrat, Moi, Comtesse Bafouée, who should entertain all ages.
Find more information here.
Brosella festival, Parc d'Osseghem, Laeken – Friday, Saturday & Sunday
A nearly 50-year Brussels institution, the Brosella "jazz and urban ethno" festival is the laid-back little sister to Couleur Café and they share the same venue, in the forested amphitheatre near the Atomium.
Credit: Brosella
Brosella is the far more family-friendly of the two. The music isn't loud, the crowd is chill, and there's a dedicated kids area with workshops, including a Saturday one at 13:30 on soundpainting. The festival is free for children under 12, and tickets are also sold via the "pay what you can" principle.
Find more information here.
Bruxsel Ludik, Parc du Cinquantenaire, Etterbeek – Saturday & Sunday, 10:00-19:00
Toy store Fox & Cie and a huge crew of toy and game makers take over the Cinquantenaire to show off family board games, puzzles and crafts in the sunshine.
Credit: Fox & Compagnie
You're invited to sit down and try out games with people who will guide you through them. There's no entry fee and there'll be food and drink nearby.
Find more information here.
Steaming ahead all day
12 heures de vapeur, Petit train à vapeur, Parc du Bempt, Forest – Sunday, 10:00-22:00
The little steam train that could starts at 10:00 and runs for the whole day for its annual steam marathon to raise funds for the local Le Tremplin school for children with hearing and language difficulties.
Credit: Filous
The train is the most fun for the very small as it chugs around the lake. Older children aged 9 years and over might be lured along by the prospect of learning to drive the train. They’ll need to register ahead, pay €12 and will then whizz around for an eight-minute ride.
Find more information here.
You'd rather be reading?
Brussels Book Trail – Saturday, 10:30-00:00
Six independent bookshops that sell books written or translated into English are very keen to meet you this Saturday. You can collect stamps from each one, check out a hidden bookshelf and then join a party at 18:00.
Credit: Unity Bookshop
A highlight for Brussels multilingual children will be Bimbi Books in Ixelles, but they could also tour Ixelles to see the multilingual Librebook and the second-hand stores Tulibris and Unity Bookshop before breaking over the Sainte-Gilles border for the Sabbar café and bookshop. The day could be wrapped up with some quiet time at the ZigZag reading room in the Marolles.
Find more information here.
Storytelling walk, Rouge-Cloître, Auderghem – Sunday, 15:30-17:00
Several Brussels parks will be hosting storytelling walks in French on summer Sundays.
Credit: Brussels Gardens
If you already spent your Saturday at Rouge-Cloître, you may recognise Carole Joffrin from her morning show for young children. She and Aline la Sardine will lead the walk. The price is up to you. You’re asked to book ahead but also to come along on the day in case of any cancellations even if it appears sold out.
Find more information here.
