There’s so much to do in Brussels in August! From festive guinguettes to concerts and must-see exhibitions, take your pick!
Table Of Contents
- Titanic L'Exposition
- A yoga session amidst Magritte's works
- MOIR: The museum of infinite realities
- The Hide & Seek Festival invites you to discover traditional music concerts in unusual venues around Brussels.
- The Bubble Planet immersive experience
- GIANTS, an exhibition for the whole family at the Institute of Natural Sciences
- Elliott Erwitt retrospective
- Immersive Klimt experience in Antwerp
- Picnic in the trees near Namur
- Il est Temps d'en Rire: a major comedy festival near Brussels
- Les guinguettes de la Place du Jeu de Balle
- Feeërieën, Boterhammen in het Park, Bar Chaud: three free festivals in the Parc Royal from August 26 to 30.
- Visit the Palais Royal: the Brussels landmark opens its doors for free
- The Foire du Midi: Brussels' favorite summer rendezvous until August 21
Our top things to do in Brussels in August
Titanic L’Exposition
Titanic L’Exposition is one of those exhibitions that can only be described as an “event”. It has already attracted 110,000 visitors and has no intention of slowing down. What are the ingredients for this success? More than 200 relics found on the site of the shipwreck lying at a depth of over 3800 meters, as well as poignant passenger accounts, unique archives and reconstructions of emblematic locations. Fun, educational, captivating… Don’t miss this exhibition, which will be closing very soon!
📍Tour & Taxis, 86c avenue du Port
A yoga session amidst Magritte’s works
On August 14 and 28, we’re giving you the chance to combine art and sport by taking part in a highly original plan – just like the Belgian surrealist painter – a unique yoga session in the midst of Magritte ‘s soothing works as part of the immersive experience. Curious to try out the concept? It’s happening at Galerie Horta, and the sensation of absolute relaxation is guaranteed!
MOIR: The museum of infinite realities
Are traditional museums not for you? If you’re looking for a truly different museum experience, we recommend you try the Museum of Infinite Realities (MOIR). Designed as a unique immersive experience, the MOIR is made up of 7 rooms where you can take part in interactive activities around the “Explore The True You” thematic trail, the last of which is none other than an absolutely mind-blowing holographic show. In short, an unusual concept to be discovered by yourself and for yourself, as a matter of urgency.
📍Rue du Marché aux Poulets 32, Brussels, 1000
The Hide & Seek Festival invites you to discover traditional music concerts in unusual venues around Brussels.
The Hide & Seek Festival returns from August 18 to 24, 2024. For 7 days, traditional music concerts will take place in unusual locations around the capital. Concerts will take place in a climbing gym under a church, a colorful stained-glass workshop, a royal mirror factory, a retro umbrella factory, and a former princely residence. This festival will allow you to rediscover Brussels in a whole new way, and enjoy the music to the full. Expect surprises, even if you think you already know the city well!
The Bubble Planet immersive experience
Want to escape the heat while staying cool? We’ve got a fun bubble experience for you in Brussels. It’s called Bubble Planet, and it takes place at Tour & Taxis. In this unusual place, you’ll be able to immerse yourself in an absolutely “bubbly” world of themed rooms and virtual reality. Bubbles, neon lights, lava lamps, pastels and bubble-gum… Enough to make your Instagram feed a little more colorful.
📍Tour & Taxis, avenue du Port 86C (SHED 3.2)
GIANTS, an exhibition for the whole family at the Institute of Natural Sciences
The GIANTS family exhibition takes you on a journey through time, from the Paleogene to the Quaternary, at the Institute of Natural Sciences. Discover eleven spectacularly large animals, including the Otodus megalodon shark and the Gigantopithecus blacki monkey. Until August 25, 2024, admire 6 life-size 3D animal representations and 5 almost complete skeletons. Become a paleontologist by conducting your own research using multimedia images.
Elliott Erwitt retrospective
After attracting 300,000 visitors between Paris and Lyon, a brand-new exhibition dedicated to Elliott Erwitt moves to Brussels. At number 5, Grand Place, visitors are invited to plunge into the world of one of the 20th century’ s most eminent photographers, through more than 200 iconic photographs, sometimes moving, sometimes funny, presented under a new prism.
📍Grand-Place, number 5, 1000 Brussels
Immersive Klimt experience in Antwerp
Why not take the opportunity to get away from it all? Just 1 hour from Brussels, Klimt: The Immersive Experience has brought its most iconic paintings to Antwerp in a digitalized version, immersing you in the glamorous Vienna of the 1900s. The program includes floor-to-ceiling digital projections, virtual reality and a customized soundscape. The exhibition brings masterpieces such as The Kiss, The Tree of Life and Judith and Holofernes to life. If you don’t want to miss the chance to see these marvellous works on a grand scale, head to Antwerp’s DIVE, Digital and Interactive Venue, in the City of Diamonds!
📍DIVE – Carnotstraat 90, 2060 Antwerpen
Picnic in the trees near Namur
In Marche-les-Dames, near Namur, the Vagabond’Arbres restaurant invites you to enjoy a meal perched 5 meters high in the beech trees. For those who love picnics and getting away from it all, this perched experience is sure to delight. If you’d like to try out the concept with friends, lovers or family, don’t wait any longer: it runs until the end of the month.
📍Abbaye Notre-Dame du Vivier – Marche-les-Dames (5024)
Il est Temps d’en Rire: a major comedy festival near Brussels
Looking for a good laugh on the shores of one of Belgium’s most majestic lakes? From August 19 to 30 (except from 22 to 25 + 29), join us every evening on the shores of the charming Genval lake for 1? hours of comedy at the “Il est Temps d’en Rire” festival!
Les guinguettes de la Place du Jeu de Balle
It’s summertime, and it’s time to take advantage of plans to get outdoors! Every Thursday in August, head to Place du Jeu de Balle to enjoy the guinguettes and their lively terraces. A variety of music groups will ensure a festive atmosphere every week. What’s more, each Thursday features a new musical program, so you can go every week and see a different concert!
📍 Place du Jeu de Balle, 1000 Brussels
📆 Thursdays August 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29
⏰ 6pm to 10pm (doors open at 5pm)
🎟️ Free
Feeërieën, Boterhammen in het Park, Bar Chaud: three free festivals in the Parc Royal from August 26 to 30.
Like every year, the Ancienne Belgique team takes over Brussels’ Parc Royal with its free festivals. Feeërieën is a nocturnal open-air music festival inviting international alternative music artists to perform live in an intimate, fairytale setting. Boterhammen in het Park offers free daytime concerts at lunchtime: an opportunity to eat your sandwich while enjoying Dutch-speaking Belgian artists. And the latest addition, the Bar Chaud festival, features hip-hop workshops, skateboarding classes, battles, concerts and DJ sets in the afternoons. These events are a must for the Brussels summer.
📍 Parc Royal, 1000 Brussels
📆 Monday August 26 to Friday August 30
⏰ Noon to midnight
🎟️ Free
Visit the Palais Royal: the Brussels landmark opens its doors for free
It’s the face of many a postcard. Although less accessible than the Grand-Place because it’s only open once a year, the Palais Royal in Brussels is preparing to thrill visitors! As usual, we’ll be opening our doors free of charge from July 23 to August 28!
The Foire du Midi: Brussels’ favorite summer rendezvous until August 21
One of Brussels’ favorite summer events, the famous Foire du Midi, takes place once again this year from July 16 to August 21, 2022 along the Boulevard du Midi in Brussels. More than a hundred attractions for the whole family enliven this summer event, which attracts thousands of visitors every year.