This week sees Brussels transformed into a Renaissance celebration for the Ommegang folk festival, complete with jousting knights, crossbow demonstrations, and the famous procession through the city culminating with the grand spectacle on the Grand Place.
Already the Brussels Renaissance Festival has featured historic tours, treasure hunts and exhibitions in the Belgian capital, recreating life in the 15th and 16th centuries and highlighting the city's medieval history.
The programme comes to a grand finale with this week's traditional 'Ommegang' folk festival again taking place in the city centre, concluding with the spectacle on the Grand Place on Wednesday and Friday.
The event recreates the 1549 arrival of Charles V, the most powerful monarch of the 16th century whose main residence was Brussels. The occasion relives the moment Charles presented his son, the future Philip II. Much of the symbolism of this royal visit is preserved, with the royal colours and flags displayed outside the great European houses.
The Ommegang parade in 2023. Credit: Belga/Jonas Roosens
Discover the unmissable events that provide a vision of Brussels as a Renaissance city.
Craft fair, battles and parades
The highlight of the Ommegang is the famous procession – recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. Whilst this happens only on Wednesday and Friday this week, other activities will take place every day from Wednesday to Saturday.
A 'Renaissance Village' will be set up in Sablon, which re-enacts customs of centuries past. Craftspeople from across Europe – among them barbers, blacksmiths and ironworkers – will showcase a range of products and perform typical trades of the Renaissance period.
The Renaissance Market. Credit: Ommegang
The highlight will be the jousting tournament, in which medieval knights on horseback face off and try to topple each other. Knights will also fight on foot on several occasions each day.
On Wednesday and Friday evening, crossbow competitions between the two Brussels guilds of archers will be held in front of the Church of Eglise Notre-Dame du Sablon. According to tradition, the winner will enter the Grand Place during the Ommegang parade with the golden arrow.
Credit: Ommegang
Around this time, the Ommegang procession – made up of 900 people representing 74 folklore groups from around Belgium – will gather in Parc de Bruxelles near the Royal Palace. Charles V's carriage will set off at 20:15, passing through Rue de la Régence and Rue des Sablons.
The procession will move to the Eglise Notre-Dame du Sablon to join the groups of crossbowmen, archers and fencers. The carriage will then leave the Sablon just before 21:00, following a 1.5 km route through Rue Lebeau, Place de la Justice, Rue de l'Hôpital, Place Saint-Jean, Rue Duquesnoy, Rue Infante Isabelle, Rue Marché aux Herbes, Rue de Tabora, Rue du Midi, Rue des Moineaux, Rue de l'Etuve, Rue Charles- Buls before arriving at the Grand Place.
The Ommegang parade in 2022. Credit: Belga/ Hatim Kaghat
Once on the Grand Place, 1,400 participants in stage costumes including musicians, singers, dancers, horsemen, uniformed guards and flag-bearers will act out the story of Charles V's arrival in Brussels. The show will feature large flags, walking stilts, riding on horseback and performing puppet theatre.
Each year, a public figure or celebrity is assigned the role of the herald for the event. This year's herald will be French actress and film director Josiane Balasko. Dozens of other figures, often members of guilds in the city, representatives of confraternities, or members of Brussels' noble houses, also parade in costume.
The Ommegang parade in 2022. Credit: Belga/ Hatim Kaghat
Brussels residents and visitors line the streets of the city to watch the procession, which can be viewed for free. For a good view of the performance, it is recommended to reserve a spot in the seating area, which can be done on the organiser's official website (tickets for the show cost between €55 and €85, depending on the seat). Tickets for Friday are almost sold out but there are still spots on Wednesday.
