Every year on 17 March, Saint Patrick's Day is welcomed to great fanfare across the world. Brussels' growing Irish diaspora means that there are plenty of events this week to mark the Emerald Isle's annual celebration of its patron saint.
Ireland will enjoy a public holiday to mark Saint Patrick's Day on Sunday. Meanwhile in Belgium, Brussels' Irish community has laid on a range of activities throughout the weekend, with something for everyone. Find out about all the festivities taking place in Brussels this weekend below.
Saint Patrick's Day Parade
Parades are a quintessential part of the Saint Patrick's Day experience in Ireland, and this year, the procession will come to Brussels too. Starting at 13:00 from Les Halles Saint Géry, the parade will make its way around the city, passing through Bourse, La Monnaie, Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert and finishing up at Grand Place.
Credit: Irish Embassy
Beforehand, a children's arts and crafts workshop will take place at 10:30 in Les Halles. A 'Concert of Irish Melodies' with Dénes Dosztán on piano will also precede the parade at 12:00, and afterwards, the Cork Jazz Festival House of Brussels will perform at the same location at 17:00. A jam session will be open to all musicians at 18:00.
All events are free of charge and all nationalities are welcome to come and join in the fun.
Place Saint-Géry 1, 1000 Bruxelles. Find more information here.
Manneken Pis gets dressed up
Manneken Pis, one of Europe's most visited statues, is known for dressing accordingly for whatever Brussels might be celebrating. Paddy's Day is no exception: this Sunday, all members of the public are invited to attend his traditional costume unveiling at 11:00 (expect a flat cap and a traditional woolly Aran jumper).
Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Irish Embassy
Find more information here.
Irish Céilí
From 20:00 on Friday, the Belgium Gaelic Football Club will hold one of its largest fundraisers to date, raising money for a cornerstone of Irish community abroad all while enjoying some dancing and Craic agus Ceol (good fun and live music).
Credit: Belgium GAA
The organisers have stated that no prior knowledge of Irish dancing is necessary. Tickets are €15 on the door (cash only) and anyone with a Gaelic jersey is encouraged to don it for the evening.
Rue de l'Épée 8, 1000 Bruxelles. Find more information here.
Trad sessions across the city
Every Irish pub across the city is guaranteed to be packed throughout the weekend, but some are worth a special mention for their traditional live music.
De Valera's on Place Flagey will be playing live music from 16:00 and its classic karaoke night will kick off at 19:00. If you haven't had your traditional fill at that stage, head over to another session at Kitty O'Shea's in the European Quarter, where music will start from 19:00.
Music starts from 14:00 at The Wild Geese (also in the European Quarter), with a variety of acts playing from midday into the evening.
Six Nations: Ireland vs Scotland
What better way to celebrate Ireland's biggest day than watch it (hopefully) beat Scotland in the Six Nations rugby tournament?
Kick-off is at 17:45 on Saturday and the match will be screened in any Irish pub worth its salt (Kitty O'Shea's is even hosting a DJ set afterwards!).
If none of the city's Irish establishments tickle your fancy, the match will be available to watch at The Big Game in the city centre too.
Panel discussion: Irish in Brussels
After a weekend full of fun, you might be inclined to delve into more intellectual matters, such as the Irish language and its place in the EU institutions and wider Brussels.
Irish language group Conradh na Gaeilge and Irish MEP Seán Kelly (EPP) will host a panel discussion in the European Parliament on Tuesday 19 March at 18:30, bringing together expert voices about Irish's place in the capital of Europe. Live English interpretation will be available for those who don't speak Irish.
Rue Wiertz 60, 1047 Bruxelles. Find more information here.
