Hello April, hello springtime 🙂 The weather is slowly getting better and there are beautiful flowers all around the city, making it prettier everywhere you look. Coupled with a bit of holidays, you are all set to explore and explode with joy! As always, we are here with a super curated list of Brussels events and happenings this month.
Brussels Book Fair
Hola booklovers! Look no farther as your own book fair in Brussels happens every year in April. This time, there are more than 1200 authors waiting to meet their readers and talk, debate about everything bookish. In addition, entry is absolutely free; so, register your slot and go see some books.
From 04-07 April, Tour and Taxis
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Nocturnes of Brussels Museums
As the days are getting longer, Brussels museums are back with their nocturnal programme. There are guided tours, activities and behind the scenes at various participating museums. If you are a museum lover and cannot make it during daytime, do grab this opportunity and visit.
From 11 April – 23 May, Every Thursday
Info and tickets
Art Brussels
This annual art extravaganza is going to be grand(er) this year as this Belgian contemporary art fair enters its 40th edition. There will be artworks from 176 galleries all around. Having been there previously, I can only recommend enough as it is worth your time.
From 25-28 April, Brussels Expo
Info and tickets
Josef and Anni Albers, Iconic Couple of Modernism
The Boghossian Foundation hosts the first exhibition in Belgium of the work of Josef and Anni Albers, two pioneers of modernism who produced pivotal artworks that marked the history of 20th century art. 10 April – 8 September in the Villa Empain.
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JOSEF HOFFMANN – Falling for Beauty at Museum of Art & History
The expo provides an exceptional opportunity to discover an artist who understood beauty as an absolute requirement for individual and social transformation.
Until 14 April!
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BIFFF – Brussels International Fantasy Film Festival
This year, BIFFF enters into its 42nd edition and takes place at Brussels Expo, Heysel. Dedicated to fantasy features, animations and short films only, the festival will bring more than 100 films from all over the world.
From 9-21 April, Brussels Expo
Info and tickets
Expo: Vote – A European Story
In June 2024, citizens from all European Union Member States will be called to elect their representatives to the European Parliament. It will be the 10th time such elections have been held since 1979. It is therefore a fitting occasion to reflect on how Europe’s supranational democracy has unfolded, from the origins of democratic participation on the continent to the step-by-step building of a true European polity.
Until June 2024, Parlamentarium
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TITANIC: The Artifact Exhibition in Brussels
Real objects, real stories. Discover the extraordinary story of the Titanic in a new light, by putting yourself in the shoes of the passengers. In the 16,000 square feet exhibition, admire authentic artifacts recovered from the wreck of the Titanic at a depth of almost 10,000 feet, visit the reconstruction of the ship’s rooms and discover poignant accounts of the passengers present at the time of the shipwreck.
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NEB – New European Bauhaus Festival
The European Commission, in collaboration with the Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union, brings this elaborate festival of 5 days. There are 3 key themes – Forum (featuring discussions and keynotes), Fair (featuring workshops, labs and exhibitions) and Fest (featuring performances of art). The festival will also feature the ceremony of the NEB Prizes 2024.
From 09-13 April, Parc Cinquantenaire / Arts and History Museum
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Cherry blossom trail
The blossoms have just begun and if you do not want to miss them, try these 11 spots for best viewing, curated by our editorial team. You can also check our Instagram video which has already amassed more than 120.000 views!
Josef and Anni Albers, Iconic Couple of Modernism
The Boghossian Foundation hosts the first exhibition in Belgium of the work of Josef and Anni Albers, two pioneers of modernism who produced pivotal artworks that marked the history of 20th century art.
10 April – 8 September 2024 in the Villa Empain
More info
New Temporary expo: Bellum et Artes – Europe and the Thirty Years’ War
On the evening of Saturday 27 April, the House of European History invites you to the opening of its new temporary exhibition Bellum et Artes (War and Arts), about the role of the arts during the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648).
27 April 2024, 18.00-21.00
More info
Masses: Oscar Murillo solo exhibition
Colombian artist Oscar Murillo works on paintings, installations and performance art. The contemporary art centre Wiels in Brussels has invited him back for a solo exhibition that illustrates the cartography of liquid mass.
Until 28 April, Wiels
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James Ensor. Maestro.
2024 is the year of Ensor, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the death of famous Belgian artist. Bozar pays a tribute with an exhibition highlighting all his facets in an anthology of some 100 works. Until 23 June.
Info
James Ensor. Inspired by Brussels
Did you know that Brussels played a crucial role in how Ensor developed as an artist? The exhibition explores how the city helped to shape Ensor’s quirky and characteristic visual language.
From 22 February until 2 June
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Belgian Jazz Festival
Belgian jazz has gained a heavy tempo over the years and is quite celebrated all around. The participants for this year’s festival are: Nathalie Loriers (trio), Igor Géhénot quintet), Bart Defoort/Victor Da Costa (quartet), Lorenzon Di Maio ( ruby), Maxime Blésin (chorazz).
From 05-06 April, Théâtre du Vaudeville
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Popcorn at MIMA museum
New group show featuring 15 artists who paint a colourful, offbeat and dreamlike picture of our society, with a dose of surrealism comparable to that of the 1930s. The humorous experience is as much a guaranteed visual shock as it is an antidote to winter melancholy.
Until 26 May
Info
Lecture: The Story of Indian Modern Art.
Organised by The Arts Society Brussels, the lecture will be given by Georgina Bexon at the Woluwe-St-Lambert Town Hall on 17 April.
More on FB event
Folon – A Trip to Brussels
2024 marks the ninetieth birth anniversary of legendary Belgian artist, illustrator and sculptor Jean-Michel Folon. In retrospect, the Folon Foundation, along with three museums in Brussels has arranged for exhibitions showcasing Folon’s works. There is also a route following twenty sculptures by Folon from Galleries Royale Saint-Hubert and Mont des Arts, leading to the Sablon square.
More info
Histoire de ne pas rire. Surrealism in Belgium
New exhibition on Belgium’s famous avant-garde movement spanning 60 years can be seen in Bozar.
Until 16 June
More details
IMAGINE! Hundred years of International Surrealism.
2024 marks a hundred years of international surrealism and there are so many important events lined up to celebrate this. The Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels is collaborating with Centre Pompidou in Paris for a touring exhibition on surrealistic art. From Dali, Chirico, Pollock, Miro to Belgian surrealists like Khnopff, Spilliaert, Delville and Minne – there are more than 130 works of art to be discovered in this expo.
Until 21 July
Info
Giant ducks at Vismet, St Catherine
Five giant ducks can be seen at the fountain of Vismet (fish market), just opposite of the Saint-Catherine’s Church. Family activities take place every first Sunday of the month.
Until September 2024
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Antica Brussels Fine Art Fair – Nothing dazzles like fine art on display at over a 100 participating art galleries from Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Netherlands, Spain, Italy and many more. There will be a selection of paintings, furniture, sculptures and more from the Haute Époque to the present era.
From 17-21 April, Tour and Taxis
Info and tickets
Visit the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken – A series of greenhouses in steel and glass, built in the Art Nouveau style by Alphonse Balat open their doors for public visits only for a month every year. This period ensures maximum flowering season, so do not miss a visit! To get inspired, visit our article The royal greenhouses, greener than ever as well as Discovering the Royal Greenhouses & its surroundings.
From 26 April
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Jules François Crahay
Fashion & Lace Museum in Brussels hosts the first exhibition devoted to Jules François 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. Check our Instagram video to get inspired.
Until 10 November
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Francois Coorens artworks throughout the Hilton Brussels Grand Place
Belgian artist launches a one-year “residency” at Brussels Hilton hotel. Francois Coorens will have his artwork displayed on walls throughout the Hilton Brussels Grand Place for the coming year.
More info
Bill Viola expo
La Boverie museum in Liège is hosting a monographic exhibition on American artist Bill Viola. A major figure in contemporary art, he is considered as one of the pioneers of the medium of video art.
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