The May Day holiday on Friday promises to be warm and sunny for the start of a three-day weekend.
You can celebrate Walloon Heritage Day with your family by checking out the local châteaux, or stay in Brussels and celebrate Labour Day with the workers of the world.
It's also the start of the summer season for old favourites such as the miniature steam train of Forest and the canal water bus.
This week, we checked out a new climbing gym in Kraainem, and we're looking forward to trying out new sports at a big (free) sports festival.
May Day activities
Family life, château style – Friday, 1 May, opening times vary
More than 30 castles across Wallonia throw open their doors to families for free on Friday. Activities vary, with some offering activities (a duelling show at Val Saint-Lambert) and others some games and a snack. Of the locations near Brussels, Château Louvignes requires reservations in advance for theatrical tours of the kitchen.
Credit: AWAP
Others that don’t involve a trek across country include Château Bois-Seigneur-Isaac in Braine-L’Alleud, the Château Empain in Enghien, Château de Seneffe, and Château de Jodoigne-Souveraine. If you don’t already know Château d’Hélécine, it’s got an excellent array of playgrounds and, importantly, they are next to a café for parents.
Find more information here.
Celebrating Labour Day at La Fonderie – Friday, 1 May, 10:00-22:00
The workers’ struggle is celebrated at La Fonderie museum in Molenbeek, which is dedicated to Belgium’s industrial past. On Friday, it will be more about the partying, with giant toys, live music, food, a show, a DJ and a giveaway market from 10:00.
Credit: La Fonderie
There’ll also be an afternoon and evening of live music in the Mont des Arts in the city centre, sponsored by trade unions.
Find more information here.
Trains and boats
Le Petit Train à Vapeur de Forest – Chaussée de Neerstalle, Friday and Sunday, 14:00-18:00
The little steam train has been chugging through Bempt park in Forest every summer for nearly 40 years. Run by volunteers, the model trains can take passengers around some 2 kilometres of track around the park and its pond.
Credit: PTVF
There’s a miniature station, a depot and even signals. It’s open every Sunday and on public holidays and will be open on Friday and Sunday this week. It’s free for children under four and €3.50 for everyone else.
Find more information here.
Waterfeest, Vilvoorde – Sunday, 11:00 to 18:00
The warm weather means the Brussels canal is open for the summer season. The water bus starts up its 10-kilometre trip from Brussels city centre to Vilvoorde on Friday. Then on Sunday, Vilvoorde has a water festival, with free ferry trips, water workshops where you can analyse the canal water, and rowing and kayaking demonstrations.
Credit: Waterfeest
There are also bouncy castles, a water playground and giant bubbles for kids.
Find more information here and here.
Climbing and sports
Gravity Fun, Avenue Hebron 5 – Monday-Saturday, 10:00 to 19:00
This climbing hall, open since last weekend, is a very welcome addition to the climbing scene in Brussels, where many gyms mainly cater for adults and teens.
Gravity Fun, on the other hand, is ideal for children from four to ten, with two halls in the renovated chapel of an old convent, one with a varied climbing area suited to different heights and the other a rope-climbing wall.
Credit: Gravity Fun
There’s also a café that promises to offer weekend family brunches in the future.
Find more information here.
Stadskriebels at Roi Baudouin Stadium - Sunday, 11:00-17:30
Dutch-speaking sports organisations gather on Sunday to show off what they offer and give a chance to try out dozens of different activities, all for free. Children under six will have bouncy castles, electric balance bikes and snowboards to play with. Everyone else can try out everything from aikido to zipline, with a ninja parcours, laser shooting and a barefoot path in between.
Credit: Stads Kriebels
There’s also a quiet zone and face-painting with glitter tattoos for the less active. Brussels communes will also battle against each other to rack up as many circuits around the stadium’s race track within two hours.
Find more information here.
Gigs, but for kids
Botanique, rue Royale 236 – Saturday and Sunday, 10:00
The Botanique concert venue in central Brussels misses those of you who used to go to gigs before they spent their nights trying to get small people to sleep. It's now running a series of morning concerts that you can take your children to. There are two this weekend. Brussels-based francophone singer ML has a "folk, bedroom pop and poetic sound" from her two albums on Saturday at 10:00.
Credit: Botanique
On Sunday, Jeronimo takes to the stage for his first album in ten years which marks a shift towards a more acoustic sound, even though he promises to play music from his indie-rock years in the early 2000s. That's also at 10:00. Both concerts are followed by a creative workshop linked to the current exhibition of textile art by Juliette Vanwaterloo.
Find more information here and here.
