Best of Brussels in October 2024.

October is well under way and if you are still adjusting, look at our?photo story?as?a gentle reminder how Brussels will look like very soon. :) For those looking for ideas & new urban discoveries, we can suggest a bit less explored area of the Brussels Canal and its surroundings. This vast zone offers the perfect setting for a walking tour, taking you along a wide range of urban landscapes and very peaceful panoramas, as well as a multitude of neighborhoods, each with their own stories. Discover more!

We have been wandering around the city in the past weeks, scouting a few upcoming spots and initiatives?and we promise to bring you some interesting new stories in November.

In the meantime, Brussels got several new bold additions to its gastronomic scene.?If you like some old-fashioned vibes,?Era restaurant in the new charming?Hotel Fleur de Ville?is a place where old-world tradition gets a modern twist. A few steps down the same street (Rue du Fossé aux Loups), the local institution Belga Queen, has reopened recently after 3 years and following a complete renovation. Interestingly, both establishments are located in an elegant setting of former banks (both meticulously restored), offering truly unique interiors filled with history and grandeur.

If you are more into the?trendy ambiance, check the newly opened Barracuda on Place Flagey, the first Belgian restaurant from the renowned Big Mamma group - a heaven for lovers of pizzas, pastas and piatti.?Finally, for those who are looking for a fancy treat in the EU quarter, a brand new Evening Champagne Experience is on offer at The Poet in the Renaissance hotel, in collaboration with?Virginie T. Champagne. More here.

After all these foodie tips, let's dive into?our agenda and find your not-to-be-missed?events around the city!

On Saturday,?19 October, get ready for an unforgettable night during?Museum Night Fever 2024. From 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., 28 museums across the city will open their doors, offering a wide range of programs and activities. Emerging artists and art collectives will bring the museum collections to life with their works and performances. This vibrant evening will end with two afterparties at Botanique and C12. Discover the?full program.

MAD Brussels, the center for fashion and design, is dedicated to promoting the vibrant fashion and design sector of Brussels. With sustainability, inclusion, and innovation at its core, the expo?Future Generation?showcases emerging talents in our city.?Until 16 November.

Expo: The Worlds of Paul Delvaux?- a major new exhibition about Paul Delvaux has opened?on 4 October at La Boverie in Liège.?The expo?promises to be a landmark event, presenting masterpieces that have not been seen or brought together for many years.?Experience Delvaux’s influence on Surrealism and art history through a captivating display of paintings, drawings, and installations.?More info The 9th edition of?Art on Paper?takes place from?3-6 October?at the Gare Maritime in Brussels. This year, the festival will host approximately 50 galleries from Belgium and around the world, emphasizing its dedication to diversity by presenting both modern and historical art alongside contemporary artistic expressions.?More info

New expo in town: Step back 2,200 years and explore ancient China with the?Terracotta Army exhibition in Brussels! Discover the grandeur of the Terracotta Warriors and the legacy of China’s First Emperor. Opening on?9 October?at Tour & Taxis (86C Avenue du Port), don’t miss this a chance to embark on this extraordinary journey.?More info

“Alechinsky, Pinceau Voyageur” - For the very first time since its opening to the public in 2010, the Boghossian Foundation presents a solo exhibition devoted to a major European artist of the 20th century, in the welcoming and unique setting of the Villa Empain. The expo is an ode to travel, freedom and friendship, featuring an exceptional collection of approximately one hundred pieces alongside numerous archival documents amassed over the last seventy years. More here

The?Horta Museum?presents?Smooth as Velvet, featuring five artists who will transform the house’s walls until?30 May, 2025. This fabric choice highlights Horta’s love for textiles, especially silk, and underscores the architectural importance of textiles as a source of ornamentation.?Discover more

Sublimating nature seems to have always been the creative leitmotif of famous Belgian designer?Ado Chale?whose?retrospective exhibition?takes place from?18 October?to?16 November?in the stables of the?Hotel Solvay?in Brussels. The expo will feature both historic creations and never-before-seen pieces, testifying to both the wealth of his talent and the passing of the torch to the younger generation. More?info here

Hans/Jean Arp & Sophie Taeuber-Arp: Friends, Lovers, Partners.?Bozar hosts a major exhibition celebrating one of the most iconic artist couples of the 20th century: Hans/Jean Arp and Sophie Taeuber-Arp, key figures in abstract art. Open until?19 January?2025, this exhibition invites you to explore the intertwined romantic and artistic lives of the duo.?More info

Experience the power of diversity and the solidarity of music at this year’s?Raising Voices Festival, from?17 to 22 October. You’ll be able to enjoy a wide range of concerts, performances, opera & dance battles, workshops, guided tours, and events in the heart of Brussels as?La Monnaie shines a spotlight on the opera?The Time of Our Singing.?During Museum Night Fever you can even visit the magical theatre by night, accompanied by mini-concerts along the way. Some of the events are free, others require a reservation.?Check the?full programme.

Brussels Illustration Festival?is a brand new event taking place in the emblematic building of the Bourse on?12 October. The festival aims to be a celebration of visual storytelling and offer an exciting platform for emerging illustrators to showcase their talents. For this first pop-up edition, the focus will be on the art market, offering a chance to see the illustrators at work and purchase some of the exhibited illustrations. Visit the Bourse on 12 October from 11 to 19h, to meet and support local creators.?More info

The exhibition?Hosting?at?La Centrale, from 10 October to 9 February, marks the reopening of this art space in the Saint Catherine’s district after extensive renovations. To celebrate this event, the expo?‘hosting’?will showcase the work of 250 artists from Brussels and its surrounding suburbs, transforming the entire space of?la Centrale, a former power station, into a vibrant gathering point.?More info

The exhibition?Love is Louder?opens on 12 October in?Bozar. From the Summer of Love of 1967 to today, the show explores how in the last 50 years we have moved beyond the image of the traditional couple or the nuclear family, how friendships are shaping to be and what it means to use actions of love within society. Discover the work of 80 national and international artists in a wide range of media.?More info

EU Quarter tip: In October,?Lunch Tour?series at the?House of European History?in Brussels are all about the senses. Do you think it is possible to see, hear, taste, feel or smell European history? Find out more during?one of the upcoming lunchtime tours: 8 October (hear), 15 October (taste), 22 October (touch), 29 October (smell). Tours are in English and free to attend. From 12h15 – 13h. No booking required.?More info

Jump into the roaring twenties for the Museum Night Fever on 19 October - throughout the evening, visit the museum to learn more about Europe in the vibrant era of the 1920s through our standing tours, specially chosen objects, cabaret shows, swing dance workshops and jazz concerts.

Also happening this month:

• Until?13 October, experience the?Artonov Festival, inspired by the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements that define Brussels’ architecture.?Full programme
• Drafts: From Rubens to Khnopff,?is a new exhibition at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts, devoted to sketching. From 11 October, discover a new perspective and the behind-the-scenes of creations by iconic artists such as Rogier van der Weyden, Rembrandt, Rubens, Magritte, and many others.?More info
• This year,?Archiweek 2024?celebrates Architecture Day from?5-13 October. Urban Brussels is organizing guided tours of contemporary buildings, open days at architecture offices, seminars, workshops, conferences, and exhibitions throughout the Brussels Capital Region.?More info
• The?Festival des Libertés?unites diverse forms of expression to explore global rights and freedoms, raise awareness of emerging threats, and promote solidarity. This autumn, from?10-19 October, the event will feature human rights advocates, thought leaders, and diversity champions, offering a vibrant program of documentaries, debates, performances, exhibitions, and concerts.?More here
• I Love Science Festival?returns to Brussels from?11-13 October. This festival is designed for everyone, from young families to older attendees, offering a diverse program that explores science through chemistry, robotics, and interactive exhibits. Check out the laboratories, animations, workshops, and exhibitions of the?festival here.
• Bellum et Artes - Europe and the Thirty Years’ War.?The House of European History has a temporary exhibition Bellum et Artes (War and Arts), about the role of the arts during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648).?More info
• The Smurf Experience is coming to Brussels Expo from 23 October!?In a unique setting of over 1,500 m2, visitors will?take on the role of a real Smurf and?explore the Smurf village, with its iconic mushroom houses and mystical forest. More details
• Here We Are! Women in Design, 1900 -Today exhibition?in Design Museum Brussels pays tribute to women designers past and present, through a large collection of furniture, ceramics, glass, textiles, fashion and graphic design. From 16 October.?Discover more
• Riverdance, running from?29 October?to?3 November?in Brussels and Hasselt, features a new generation of exceptionally talented dancers and musicians, recognized globally as some of the finest in their craft. This spectacle for all ages is known for its Grammy Award-winning music, thrilling energy and passion of its Irish and international dance.?More info
• Hangar Halloween?is back, with an unforgettable electronic music experience on?31 October?and?1 November. Get ready for two thrilling nights filled with top electronic beats across three rooms, along with spine-chilling surprises around every corner.?More info
• Expo:?Multitude - VHILS. MIMA museum presents a solo exhibition by Alexandre Farto aka Vhils. Visitors can encounter wall carvings, billboards, cityscapes, videos and installations offering a compelling insight into the Portuguese artist approach to the relationship between people and cities. Until January 2025.?Info
• Jules Fran?ois Crahay. Fashion & Lace Museum in Brussels hosts the first exhibition devoted to Jules Fran?ois Crahay. This Belgian is one of the last geniuses of couture. For the first time, and thanks to extensive research, the expo offers an opportunity to discover this undeservedly forgotten couturier.?Until 10 November.?More info

In need of more inspirations?

Have you seen our new music agenda? Our collaborator David Vidal Sans brings us?a unique selection of festivals, concerts and parties all around Brussels, Belgium &?nearby European cities. Discover more in the?monthly music agenda!

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