The temperature isn't the only thing that's hotting up in Brussels this weekend: the cultural agenda is filling up with activities and events as residents gradually return to the city as we near the start of the new school year.
From the annual dance festival to a world-famous flower display, here's what's on in Brussels this weekend.
Out and about
Brussels Flower Carpet 2026, Grand Place, until 16 August
One of the highlights of the cultural calendar returned to the cobblestones of the Belgian capital on Thursday. Covering 1,680 m², the world's largest flower carpet is currently on display in Grand Place and features over 700,000 dahlias of 20 different species, all grown in Belgium near the Dutch border. The ephemeral artwork will remain on the square for just four days.
View of the 2026 Flower Carpet from the City Hall balcony. Credit: Isabella Vivian / The Brussels Times
This year's carpet recreates the iconic Japanese artwork 'The Great Wave of Kanagawa' by artist Hokusai, celebrating 160 years of diplomatic and friendly relations between Belgium and Japan. A second flower carpet will also be on show inside the Bourse building for the first time. Visitors can view both carpets for free, or pay to see the main display from the City Hall balcony.
Find more information here.
Brussels Dance Festival, various locations, from 14 to 23 August
Brussels will once again transform into the capital of dance for ten days this month, bringing to life Place de la Bourse and Place De Brouckère in the city centre as part of the wider annual Plaisirs d'Été programme. From classical ballet and Irish dancing to Bollywood, hip-hop, salsa and rumba, there is something for everyone.
Credit: Plaisirs d'été
The festival will kick off on Friday at De Brouckère with a free salsa workshop. In the evening, the opening show takes place at Bourse, followed by an after-party at the Bourse' rooftop bar, hosted by KULTURA Brussels.
Find more information here.
Festival season!
Festival Théâtre Nomades, Bois de la Cambre, until 16 August
This free, family-friendly festival dedicated to street art and theatre is returning to the capital region's biggest green space for its 19th edition, transforming the park into a nomadic village complete with open-air stages, Berber tents and caravans.
Credit: Théâtres Nomades
This year, there will be a rich and diverse programme of street theatre, circus, music, storytelling and visual shows. In between performances, families are invited to explore the festival's fairground and enjoy a refreshing drink and a bite to eat.
Find more information here.
XRDS festival, Parc des Étangs, 14 and 15 August
Brussels loves experimenting with unique locations for parties, and this weekend, XRDS (pronounced "crossroads") is returning to its playground beneath the highways of the Brussels Ring Road in Anderlecht. The festival park's maze of earthy paths, dense forests, and quiet grassy planes, framed by towering concrete giants, creates a dancefloor like no other.
Credit: XRDS
Curated by the iconic techno club Fuse, more than 50 artists will take to three stages over the two days, offering a varied programme of leftfield house, techno and drum and bass.
Find more information here.
Final weekend!
'Picture Perfect' exhibition, Bozar, until 16 August
If you're looking for a way to escape the heat this weekend, don't miss this thought-provoking exhibition at Bozar, now in its final few days. 'Picture Perfect' challenges Western beauty standards and questions what it means to be beautiful in today's world.
'Be Nice To Me' (Flatten 04) (video still), 2000. Credit: Pipilotti Rist / Hauser & Wirth and Luhring August
Bringing together the work of 65 artists from across continents and generations, 'Picture Perfect' examines how lens-based media have played a pivotal role in producing and reinforcing these societal expectations, and aims to expand and redefine beauty as a space of freedom, multiplicity and humanity.
Find more information here.
