Europalia Festival
The first Europalia (from the Roman Opalia, meaning rich harvest) was conceived in Brussels in 1969, and the festival has been held annually since to showcase the visual and performing arts of a different designated guest country each year. The latest country to be featured was Italy, and in 2005 Russia will be the invited country. Numerous art exhibits, concerts, film screenings and other events are held in and around Brussels between October and early February of the following year.
Art Brussels
Tens of thousands of art experts and art lovers from all over the world eagerly await ArtBrussels, Belgiums premier art festival, renowned for its high standard. The Belgian Association of Contemporary Art Galleries instituted ArtBrussels in 1968 and today the work on view, selected by an international committee, represents more than 150 international galleries.
Brussels Flower Show
The magnificent and unique Basilica of the Sacred Heart in the Brussels suburb of Koekelberg is the venue for the citys annual flower show. Each year in October the grounds of this massive Art Deco edifice are transformed into an Eden, spread with flowers, water features and plants arranged by close on 100 florists. Visitors can not only take delight in the flower show but also marvel at the Basilica itself, the largest neo-Gothic church in the world, decorated inside in 1930s style. A climb to the dome is rewarded with a beautiful panorama across the city and surrounds.
Related Travel Information
A miniature world displaying models of major events in the history of Europe. Some are hands-on such as the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Visitors can make it happen. There are even scaled down replicas of the Channel Tunnel and the Ariane rocket.
Mini-Europe, the exceptional setting for your events and seminars. 4 removable places combined to an original setting located down the Atomium will ensure the success of your events. The incomparable chimes of Big Ben welcome you to the heart of London. The gondolas and the mandolins will invite you to discover the
Brussels Travel Guide
Beer, waffles and festivals - if this is what youre looking for you will find them in abundance when you visit the countrys capital city (pop. 1 000 000). Brussels is the major gateway for the country: it is on the main routes heading inland from the Channel ports via the Flemish art towns and it is as well a convenient stopover on the train between France .and the Netherlands.
Brussels took its name from Broekzele, or city of the marsh, which grew up in the sixth century on the trade route between Cologne and Bruges / Gent. Under
Brussels has restaurants to rival Paris and London both for price and quality. Brussels is no place for weight watching - fries, chocolate and mussels are everywhere you look - and portions are large.
Give in to temptation by experimenting with some of Belgium's famous beers - like Hoegaarden, an example of blanche beer, or, Trappiste beers such as Chimay, Orval, or Achel made in abbey breweries (Leffe is an abbey beer, but is not made in a monastery!). Other varieties include the non-malted lambic, blended gueuze, red beers aged in oak and kriek - fermented with cherries or raspberries.
"One of the most beautiful town squares in Europe, if not in the world", is a phrase often heard when visitors in Brussels try to describe the beauty of the central market square. French-speakers refer to it as the 'Grand-Place', whereas in Dutch it is called 'de grote Markt'. The tourists of the 20th century are not alone in their admiration . Archduchess Isabella, daughter of Filip II of Spain wrote about the square during her visit to Brussels on September the 5th 1599: " Never have I seen something so beautiful and exquisite as the town square of
Most of Brussels' nightlife revolves around Belgian activities of cinema (locals go at least once a week); dining out in gourmet restaurants; or consuming large amounts of the local beers. Best bar crawl is down rue du Marché au Charbon – where every other building houses a lively drinking place. Of the many, Au Soleil at No.86 and the popular Pablo Disco Bar at No.60 are the best picks. Brussels’ renown as a clubbing town is down to one club: the Fuse , its best, where the DJ, Pierre, is the town’s top turntablist. Fast gaining a reputation for democratic
