Summer is coming and many exciting events are in front of us! For the third year in a row, the Vaux-Hall in the Parc de Bruxelles opens its doors to the public during the summer with a cultural program open to all, unique in Brussels and nourished by the particular spirit of this enchanting site. You can enjoy a diverse cultural program including concerts, thematic evenings, workshops, film projections, dance, games…
Balkan countries will also be presented during the Vaux-Hall Summer 2019 through the new Brussels! Apéro & Balkan cultural evenings program which is organized by the 1001 Valises asbl (organizers of the Balkan Trafik, a landmark festival in Brussels).
Starting from the 28th June until 9th August, thematic Fridays will be held in the Vaux-Hall, each dedicated to one of the communities from the South-Eastern Europe. Expect a lot of activities – country presentations, concerts (DJs & bands), dance workshops, animations, movie screenings, expos, dance performances… a wonderful summer immersion into different countries and Brussels’ diaspora from this region!
During each of the Friday evenings, the exposition of Balkan Trafik comics/cartoons and the video story of Balkan Trafik will be shown on the big screen. You will also be able to taste great wines from Bovin/North Macedonia at the L’Entrepote bar in the Vaux-Hall.
Full program of the Balkan cultural evenings:
28th June – Serbia.
18h>18h30 DJ Set electro Balkan Le Triporteur
18h30>19h15 Dance workshop – Dance du Mudriam School of dance: Rythme India
19h30>20h Workshop dance by Izvor
20h15>21h00 Live: Izvor troupe de danse et de musique
21h00>22h15 La promesse (The Promise), FILM projection in the presence of Dusan Gajic, the director
+/- 22h15>23h00 DJ Set electro Balkan Le Triporteur
Photo exhibition « Ivo Andric à Bruxelles » thanks to the Serbian Embassy
5th July – Bosnia & Herzegovina
18h>18h30 DJ Set electro Balkan – Gaetano Fabri
18h30>19h15 Dance workshop – Dance du Mudriam School of dance: Rythme Roman havasi
19h30>20h00 Live: The Old Bridge; duo guitar (the Roots of the legendary Mostar Sevdah reunion)
20h00>20h30 DJ Set electro Balkan Gaetano Fabri
20h30>21h15 The Old Bridge
21h15>23h: DJ Set electro Balkan Gaetano Fabri
12th July – Bulgarian evening
18h>19h30 DJ Set electro Balkan Gaetano Fabri
19h30>20h Workshop du club de danses bulgares ‘Horo à Bruxelles’
20h15>21h00 Live: Na Horoto v Bruxelles », Maria Ivanova & Horo à Bruxelles, Ivan Ivanov quartet
21h>21h30 Live; Ivan Ivanov quartet
21h30>23h00 DJ Set electro Balkan
Expos: The aroma of Bulgaria, The Bulgarian Alphabet, both with the support of Bulgarian Embassy and Bulgarian Cultural association: Staneva Mila)
19th July – Brass band, Balkan Dance & North Macedonia evening
18h>18h45 DJ Set electro Balkan Gaetano Fabri
19h00>20h00 Dance workshop – Dance du Mudriam School of dance: Rythme Balkan (Serbia, Macedonia, Romania…)
20h15>22h00 Live concert: The fabulous brass band- Kadrievi Orkestar – Dancing mix of Gypsy, Macedonian, Greek, Serbian and Turskih folk music
Orkestar Braka Kadrievi is a Macedonian Gypsy Brass Band, known from the soundtrack of Emir Kusturica’s “Time of the Gypsies”.
22h00>24h00 DJ Set electro Balkan Gaetano Fabri
26th July – Romania
18h>19h30 DJ Set electro Balkan Gaetano Fabri
19h30>20h Workshop Romanian dance Vatra Strabuna
20h15>21h30 Live concert, Vatra Strabuna & very special guests, exceptional duet “nai & viola” with Raluca Patuleanu & Tatiana Asargiu
21h30>24h DJ Set electro Balkan with DJ Gaetano Fabri
2nd August – Albanian evening
18h>19h30 DJ Set electro Balkan DJ Eagle, 100% Albanian & Balkan music
19h30-20h15 Live concert #1, The Gjini Family, iso polyphonie
20h15-21h00 : Workshop Dance du Mudiriam School of dance (Rythme: Tzigane Russe)
21h00-22h00 Live concert #2, The Gjini Family, iso polyphonie
22h-24h00 DJ Set electro Balkan DJ EAGLE
9th August – Roma evening
18h>18h30 DJ Set electro Balkan, DJ Soumnakai
18h30>19H15 Dance workshop – Dance du Mudriam School of dance: Rythme: Dance with your heart
19h30>20h00 Workshop dance, live music + Quatuor Brussel’s Roma artists: accordeon, cymbalum, contrebasse & violon, chant & dance.
20h15>21h30 Live concert, Quatuor Brussel’s Roma artists: accordeon, cymbalum, contrebasse et violon, chant & dance.
21h30>23h00 DJ Set electro Balkan, DJ Soumnakai, the best of the Roma vinyl records!
Slight changes to the program are possible so we advise you to follow Balkan Trafik facebook page for the latest updates on each of the thematic evenings.
The Balkan evenings program is organized thanks to numerous institutional partners such as the City of Brussels, Mudriam School of dance and their motivated and professional teachers, Izvor, Gjini Family, Vatra Strabuna, the Brussel’s Association Cuturelle Bulgare, Kadrievi familly, the film director and journalist Dusan Gajic, the Bulgarian Embassy, the Serbian Embassy, Stef Karo…
Since 2017, the City of Brussels has made Vaux-Hall its original function by providing a cultural and family program during the summer weekends under the name of Vaux-Hall Summer. In 2019, the summer programming started on May 31st and you can consult their full program here.
Did you know?
In 1913, in the Brussels Park, Vaux Hall was built as a place of outdoor entertainment surrounded by a covered gallery with rotunda, built trellis structure in a Louis XVI style. It was designed to house the “high-level” festivities even before the birth of Belgium as the country. The term Vaux-Hall in fact comes from English. It dates back to the manor near London which was occupied by a certain Falke de Bréauté in the 13th century. Over time, the name changed from “Falke’s Hall” to “Fox Hall” and then “Vaux Hall”. It was abandoned for a long time but fortunately four years of careful restoration conducted by the City of Brussels brought this venue back to life so that it can be enjoyed by all residents and visitors of our city.
