This weekend's agenda is jam-packed with activities in Brussels or slightly further afield. Calling all lovers of Irish culture, a concert of ancient Georgian folk songs to a city-wide music festival as well as a fashion and design showcase, here's what's on in Brussels this weekend!
Brussels Art Film Festival, various locations across Brussels, until Sunday 19 November
November in Brussels means the arrival of the Brussels Art Film Festival (BAFF), which every year explores the best art documentaries (both feature and short films) from Belgium and on the international stage on the many forms of artistic creation, including painting, architecture, dance, performance, music, and much more.
Orlando, Ma Biographie Politique by Paul B. Preciado
This year, the festival's programme offers film lovers 30 movies – a unique opportunity to discover new and inspiring films at some of the capital's most beloved venues (CINEMATEK, ISELP and Bozar).
Find more information here.
Didgori, City Hall Schaerbeek, Saturday 18 November
A performance like no other! Georgian Didgori Ensemble presents ancient secular and folk songs about work, celebration, war, harvest and love, accompanied by dance, banquets and various instruments including the pandouri (traditional lute), as well as performing liturgical songs from the Georgian Orthodox tradition, one of the oldest forms of Christian music.
Credit: Didgori Ensemble
The free concert will take place in the magnificent City Hall of Schaerbeek, further adding to the uniqueness of the event, while the acoustics will help strengthen the chanting.
Find more information here.
Brussels Fashion Sales, Saint-Géry Halls, until Saturday 18 November
Fashion lovers rejoice! The iconic Halles de Saint-Géry will become the heart of Brussels fashion, showcasing unique pieces by some 20 designers, from newly graduated emerging creators to established Brussels fashion and design brands.
Credit: Juliet Bonhomme
Participating designers sell their stock from previous years at reduced prices, making it the perfect occasion to buy a unique piece of clothing or an accessory and support your local Brussels designer or brand.
Find more information here.
Fifty Lab, various locations across Brussels, until Friday 17 November
Fifty Lab has been inviting the most promising upcoming talents from all over to the Belgian capital since 2019 to host some of the best artists in the music scene, both in Belgium and abroad. It is a legendary three-day event at iconic venues within a maximum of four minutes walking distance from each other.
Credit: Fifty Lab
The programme is curated based on recommendations of some of the most influential players in the scene, from Primavera Sound to Montreux Jazz Festival, encouraging the audience to discover a wide range of musical genres and find their next musical vibe.
Find more information here.
Out and about
Archiweek, various locations across Brussels, until Sunday 19 November
Explore contemporary architecture in the Brussels-Capital Region during free guided tours, open days of architecture firms, visits to the projects nominated for the Brussels Architecture Prize, colloquia, workshops, conferences and exhibitions for the passionate and the curious.
Credit: Philippe Braquenier/ urban.brussels
Returning to Brussels for its fifth edition, the focus will be on Sustainable Architecture, giving the audience a glimpse of six recent projects that are exemplary in terms of sustainability.
Find more information here.
Natagora's wild plant fair, Maison de la Création de Bockstael, Saturday 18 November
While plant and flower fairs are common in Brussels, this event – an exchange of native and wild plants – is unique and is a must for all "natural" gardeners, as the aim is to help encourage biodiversity in their gardens.
Credit: Natagora Brussels
The event offers a festive opportunity to buy local plants, from flower seeds and seedlings to young trees and shrubs for hedges, climbing plants and small fruit trees at a very fair price – the organisation uses inclusive payment methods, allowing people to pay what they have – but also to become a specialist in urban gardening, composting or market gardening, as a number of associations will be on hand to offer advice.
Find more information here.
Further afield
Faolán Irish Fest, Rœulx, Saturday 18 November and Sunday 19 November
The Faolán Irish Tradfest, organised by the Embassy of Ireland to Belgium, gives people in Belgium the opportunity to experience the best of Irish music, dance and Gaelic games, without having to travel to the Emerald Isle.
Credit: Faolán Irish Fest
Whether you are an Irish person living in Belgium or a lover its culture, this festival offers something for everyone, from an introduction to Ceilidh (traditional Irish group dances) to the "pub sessions", re-enacting the real experience that is traditionally found in a pub in Ireland.
Find more information here.
