Festival of the New European Bauhaus

The second edition of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Festival welcomes visitors from 9 to 13 April at the Parc du Cinquantenaire and the Art and History Museum in Brussels. The Festival includes musical performances, dance, theatre, movie nights, along with engaging debates and discussions on how to shape together a more beautiful, sustainable and inclusive future. On the line-up, visitors can expect speakers such as Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of the Museum of Modern Art, sound, and installation artist Emeka Ogboh, and Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban. Attendees can also participate in hands-on workshops focusing on fashion, construction materials, or social inclusion, featuring a Sustainable Fashion Show.

For five days, the NEB Festival freely opens its doors to all visitors with a diverse programme. Visitors can attend the Fest section to enjoy authentic artistic performances and concerts, the Fair to discover innovative projects transforming Europe, and the Forum where they can engage in exciting debates with recognised opinion leaders such as EU representatives, the Senior Curator of MoMA Paola Antonelli or the Director of Fedora and Forbes 30 under 30 awardee Edilia Ganz. The event will be officially opened on 9 April by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, European Commissioners Iliana Ivanova and Elisa Ferreira, Belgian State Secretary Thomas Dermine and the Director General of IIASA Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber.

For a sustainable European Fashion

Visitors in the EU Quarter will delve into the efforts aimed at fostering sustainability in the European fashion. The objective is to heighten awareness regarding the repercussions of fast fashion and to gain insight into the lifecycle of textiles.

On Thursday, 11 April, the event will feature a keynote on Slow Fashion presented by Katrin Thorvaldsdottir; a panel discussion moderated by Agnieszka Oleksyn with insights from Paul Kerssens, Mária Štraneková, and Pascal Morand.

The centrepiece of the day will be a Sustainable Fashion Show, with a catwalk in the esteemed “Grand Narthex” hall of the Museum of Art & History, followed by an exhibition in the “Petit Narthex.” The Fashion show will feature 10 designers from abroad and 6 from the Atelier Saint-Luc in Brussels.

Enjoy the Fest

In addition to the enriching cultural experiences, festivalgoers can discover emerging artists and immerse themselves in diverse cultural offerings, including concerts every evening, movie nights, escape games, or dance performances. To name just a few, we can count on the presence of Besac Arthur (BE), Commando Jugendstil (IT/UK), Pepe arts (GER), Threads (PT), or Sibil•la Ensemble (NL).

Experience the Fair

Beyond the festivities, visitors are encouraged to actively participate in a multitude of engaging experiences, spanning more than 70 workshops, labs, and exhibitions. Throughout the Festival, the Art and History Museum will feature 50 exhibitors providing visitors with opportunities to engage with innovative projects and solutions that integrate design with societal and environmental needs, all grounded in the NEB’s core values, fostering a collective commitment to forging a more sustainable and equitable future.

Debate in the Forum

There will also be in-depth debates and discussions on topics such as architecture, construction, sustainability, adaptation, creating a sustainable fashion world, and art like the panel discussion on “Driving climate action: Embracing the change in the built environment” on 10 April or “Education and training for changed/changing behaviours” on 11 April. The discussions will be led by high-level speakers from around the world, recognized experts on their respective fields.

Discover architectural masterpieces

Visitors will have the chance to explore three groundbreaking architectural masterpieces, created by esteemed architectural teams to present their vision for a sustainable and inclusive future. Expect to step inside the “Caterpillar Pavilion” by Jerzy Latka and beneath the “Bamboo Trilix Pavilion” by Brian Wennersten or explore the “Portable City” designed by ENORME.

The New European Bauhaus (NEB) was launched by the European Commission to translate the European Green Deal into tangible change on the ground that improves our daily lives. It brings about sustainable solutions for transforming the built environment and lifestyles for the better under the green transition, matching sustainability with good design that needs less carbon.

Interested in more events this month? Check our agenda for the Best of Brussels in April.