Brussels Capital › Agenda

Nile Rodgers, pop music's Beethoven, and local artist Jean Pierre Muller team up for the unsheathing of 'Fa' in the Ancienne Belgique this Monday night. And some lucky strummer is going home with a guitar.

All that serious European Council summit business has given us a thirst for some fun... Here's a round up of the best cultural activities happening in this fair city in the coming days and weeks. Read our list of must-sees, must-dos and must-experiences. If you have been to any of these fairs/exhibitions/concerts/shindigs or if you plan on going, then get in touch by mailing bruxelles@cafebabel.com and tell us about it.

We'd love to know, and we'll put your thoughts on our blog for all the world to see...

By Rose Kelleher

What does an artificial beach in a semi derelict city docklands look like? Like a helluva party!

The ninth year of the “Bruxelles les Bains” summer beach party got underway today and will run until August 22.

About 600 m of sandy, emm, sidewalk just near Yser metro stop right along the canal is giving the hot sweaty Brussels crowd a chance to cool off and pretend they're somewhere much more exotic. The Brussels culture fairy has waved her magic wand and transformed this industrial-feeling quayside, and for the next 50 days it will be packed with brightly coloured deck chairs, girls in grass skirts, immense sandboxes filled with adults reading novels under the sun and rowdy overexcited youngsters. A large platform with streaming jets of cold water stands in the middle of the “beach” to allow body temperatures to cool down, and is proving particularly popular during the current heat-wave. Girls and boys, dressed inconspicuously in sexy summer beach bikinis and bermudas, sip Mojitos at the many cocktail bars that line the way.

By Anita Kalmane

In the last week of June our capital will not be living – it’ll be “moving” as the annual Brussels Film Festival is approaching. On June 23-30 you can forget any other activities and attend one movie after another, all of them being produced not earlier than 2009.
As it’s quite easy to get lost in the variety of the movies offered, Cafebabel Brussels is here to provide you with five tips and three movie suggestions.

Summer jam

Fête de la musique - 17th of June until the 21st of June Summer is coming! And that also means it's time for the annual Music Festival in Brussels to go with it! In various parts of Brussels, performances will be given. Pop, jazz, hip-hop, salsa, classical music, you name it! Four lovely days filled with lovely music, all for free. In short: a good way to begin your Summer! Eager to find out more? Visit the website.

Jazz Jette June

18th of June
Even though Brussels will be thriving exuberantly with music already because of the Music Festival mentioned above, there is more! In Jette, 18 free performances will make you relax, sway or dream away. Brussel Swing Band, Groove Machine, Jojoba, Lousiana Dixieband, Nelson Trio, Swing Masters, Yellow Green Big Band and many more. Jazz fans will have a hard time choosing! More information.

Les Zin Cases Sables

20th of June
Something completely different you will find at the street festival in Schaarbeek. Photo expositions, dance, music, film, workshops, food and much more! Cosy and fun for kids too! More information.

Speak your mind!

Thursday, 24th June, 12.30am - 2pm @ Rue Coenraets 66 (Brussels)
European think tank Pour la Solidarité is organising an informal debate on the relations between Belgian civil society organisations and European institutions. Special attention will go to the Belgian EU Council Presidency. But mind you: the debate will be held in French! More information.

"It's not easy being green"
Sunday, 6th of June
2010's edition of the Big Environment Party is all about biodiversity. There will be a beautiful exhibition showing pictures of Brussels' biodiversity. Next to that, you are invited to get on your bike to cycle along the paths of 'the Green walking tour'. But the Big Environment Party is above all the ideal opportunity to get to know all environment actors in and around Brussels. Also present are biological snacks and fair trade products, street teatre performances, games, concerts and a petting zoo and village for the kids. Free performances of Magic System and Pep's will make a very cosy day end on an even better note. For more information, click right here.
Photo: © noticelj/ Flickr

Brussels by Rollerblades
Every Friday from the 4th of July until the 24th of September (If weather is nice...)
During the Summer, you can see them slip by in masses every Friday - that is, if the weather allows it. Rollerblades are a fun way to enjoy the weather, get into shape or to enjoy or discover Brussels in a different way. Sounds like a plan? Maybe the Roller Bike Parade is your cup of tea! More information is only one click away.
Photo: © davipt/ Flickr

Spain's finest at Euroferia Andaluza
3rd of June until the 6th of June
Already for the fourth time in a row, the Heysel site at the Atomium will be temporarily transformed into a second Andalucía. As usual, the feria will be organised around 5 major theme's: horse shows, cultural animations and spectacles in big casetas or tents, gastronomy, arts and crafts and a fair to keep the kids happy. Every theme will be presented on a different patio: Andalucía, Spain, Atomium, Brussels and Hell. This year is the 18th edition of the Euroferia Andaluza. Food, spectacles and shopping. Need we say more to convince you to go? To find out the specifics, visit the website.
Photo: © Diego.78/ Flickr

No boring, lazy Sunday for you this week? Check out Belgavox Concert!
Sunday, 6th of June
This Sunday, Place des Palais will be transformed into one big open-air party. Somewhat 40 artists, both French and Flemish, will be performing in front of the Royal Palace, for free. Stromae, Saule, Van Jets, Amatorski, Sandra Kim are some of the artists you will get to see. And even our very own Eurovision Song contest contestant Tom Dice will be present. All that to promote the solidarity between Belgians. Starting at 13h and ending at about 18h, this might just turn out to become one most excting Sunday! Click here to find out what other bands will be performing.
Photo: © marfis75/ Flickr

By Angélique Berhault



Parcours d'Artistes or Art Route 2010 is the occasion of seeing artworks in artist's houses in Saint-Gilles. Organised by the Culture Service of the Commune, the event is a success since its creation in 1988. To understand what the project feels like from the participants perspective, Cafebabel Brussels decided to have a conversation with Antonia Donate, a painter who has taken part in the project for 14 years.

An intimate trip...

Questioning Antonia Donate is an easy task. The delightful and smiling lady answers to everything with her bright smile and her sunny Spanish voice melody. From the moment you step into her house, the beautiful, colourful and alive paintings propel you into her bubble of lively ideas. She said spontaneously that taking part in 'Parcours d'Artistes' simply means to "open my door to any visitor! My artworks are on display in my own living-room and anyone can come and see them." The idea of "Parcours d'Artistes" is also to visit the artists' ateliers. Most don't mind, but Antonia Donate prefers to keep her creative space private. But the warm and hearty welcome you get worths it as she loves receiving people. "The thing I like the most about 'Parcours d'Artistes' is that the visitors are in a party mood! They are happy to walk around and step in different houses, discover totally different type of art... And their interest in art is actually growing each year. So it's a lot of fun!"

… in artists lives & approaches

When you enter the house of Antonia Donate, you can only be overwhelmed by the power of her colourful paintings. She usually works on the same thema for 5 to 6 years. For 'Parcours d'Artistes' she exhibited artworks from the sky, the birds, the sun, the flowers, the human beings, and the rainbow series. The latest one, 'Rainbow' focuses on feeling the colours. She said "I feel them, I am melting with them and I just put all my energy into painting what I feel, what I see, what is inside myself. And when I am working on a particular serie, I just need to see the colours I work with all around me: in my pallet, on my paintings, in me! Just everywhere. I feel a deep connection with them, and then I paint."

It is easy to establish a deep connection with artists who open their house's door to you. So do not hesitate to take part in the next session on May 23, otherwise you'll have to wait until the next one... in 2012!

More information on Parcours d'Artistes
And from the 7 to the 16th August 2010, Parcours d'Artistes will take place in Namur

By Angélique Berhault

If we look at the differences between a fly and a bear, between a man and an ant, between a girafe and a coral, we can only be astonished by the natural diversity on our planet. There are millions of distinct biological species, genes, and ecosystems on Earth.

This richness is celebrated on the 22nd of May each year: International Day of Biodiversity, as the United Nations General Assembly decided in 2006. And as usual, our beloved city takes part of the event. Cafebabel Brussels contacted the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences to know what was on…

And amazed we’ve been! The museum is launching a wonderful project from the 21st of May until the 30th of August: it is called Biogeosafari and the concept is fantastic: a tracking game in Brussels to discover the species that live in our city. This is the opportunity to look at the city through green-tinted glasses…

So just download the map, put your baskets on, take a bottle of water and go around the streets! You’ll discover plenty of species you have never heard about… On the way, answer to the 50 enigmas and win prizes (including a week-end for two in Paris).

Enjoy your time and check out our blog because Cafebabel Brussels will be back on biodiversity issues soon… Indeed, 2010 is the Year of Biodiversity with one aim for the European countries: decrease the extinction of species. So let’s see what our countries have been doing on this issue for the past years. And before that, get more information on:

The International Year of Biodiversity

The Convention on Biological Diversity

Belgian Biodiversity Platform

Belgian biodiversity

Photos: Marine biodiversity © David Hall/SeaPhotos.com , Clownfish © Flickr Nemo's great uncle

Get a change of air!
Today is your last chance. The festival Courants d'Airs by the students from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels in collaboration with La Cambre and INSAS closes tonight. Discover their creations starting at 5pm. Enjoy some theater plays, music, opera, jazz, circus, films, performances and exhibitions. More information
Monday April the 26th, at 5pm.
Royal Conservatory of Brussels : rue du Chêne 17, 1000 Brussels

Street art or Art St?
Rue du brochet and rue Gray (between rue du sceptre and rue Wayenberg) have become an open-air gallery. Since this weekend, a Galerue is swinging from the balconies and appears on the windows. You can see this art from the sidewalk until June 25 More information
From April the 24th to June the 25th.
Rue Gray et Rue du Brochet, 1050 Ixelles

Tervuren-Upon-Congo
From 27 April 2010 to 9 January 2011, the Royal museum of Central Africa in Tervuren is presenting an exhibition on the huge Congo River. Organised during the International Year of Biodiversity, this interactive exhibit explores the long river of more than 4,500 kilometers from its source to its mouth. More information
From April the 27th 2010 to January the 9th 2011
Royal museum of Central Africa : Leuvensesteenweg 13, 3080 Tervuren

Festival International du Rire à Rochefort
If you wish to break out of the capital, do not miss the Festival International du Rire de Rochefort. With the jokers: TEX, Roland Magdane, Michel Leeb, Patrick Timsit, Michel Boujenah, Sois Belge et tais-toi, Les Frères Taloche, Bruno Coppens, Pierre Theunis and many others. From 24 April to 16 May. More information