Our January edition of Best of Brussels is here! As always, we bring you a carefully selected list of fresh activities as well as some of the newest expos and entertainment tips around the city.
Brussels Cathedral celebrates 800 years
Gudula Year 2026 is a year-long celebration marking the 800th anniversary of the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, featuring a rich program of events through 2026, including the immersive LUMINISCENCE sound and light show and many more events highlighting the Gothic cathedral’s history and art.
GUDULA26 will start with a free pontifical mass and a carillon concert on 11 January and will follow with concerts, guided tours, theatrical plays and conferences through the year. One of the highlights will be the chance to access the Cathedral towers with unique guided night tours from Spring.
Exhibitions
BRAFA Art Fair is the highlight of the month, returning to Brussels Expo from 25 January to 1 February, bringing together nearly 150 galleries from 19 countries and a unique diversity of specialties, from archaeology to contemporary design. In refined stands, ancient masters, modern and contemporary art, art of Africa and Oceania, jewellery, furniture, sculpture or rare books… compose a fascinating mosaic. An artistic journey across the five continents.
Ceramic Brussels is back from 21-25 January in Tour & Taxis, with more than 70 Belgian and international exhibitors, a focus on Spain, and the presentation of nearly 200 artists.
Conceived as an immersive and multidisciplinary exhibition, KNOTT SO MAD retraces 25 years of designs, collaborations, and friendships by Belgian fashion designer Jean-Paul Knott. Visit for free at MAD Brussels until end of January.
Maison Hannon hosts Echoes of Dreams, an exhibition about symbolism in Brussels. An opportunity to be marvelled by this 20th century art style while visiting one of the best Art Nouveau houses in town. Until April 2026.
Another Art Nouveau gem, Maison Autrique embraces lightness by offering a refreshing dive into the leisure activities of Art Deco 1920-1940, retrospectively known as “the interwar years” in an expo titled Loisirs-Plezier until April 2026. Get your tickets.
How to unravel gender stereotypes in art collections? The virile, brutal man; the gentle, maternal, nurturing woman, confined to domestic roles; or on the contrary, the temptress, sinner, even guilty one: examples of stereotypes deeply rooted in the collective imagination and also conveyed through art. Through a new display, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium focus on these gender-related stereotypes. Art x Gender questions how images and artworks reinforce or challenge such representations. Visit until April.
Mercedes-Benz takes over Autoworld for a special exhibition celebrating 140 years of the German make. From the 1886 Benz three-wheeler to the striking AMG ONE, more than fifty iconic and rare models showcase the brand’s innovation, elegance and racing heritage. Runnng until 22 February. Get your tickets here.
Performative and multidisciplinary arts, shows…
Music events star strong in January with concerts by this month with concerts by international stars like André Rieu, Burna Boy, Calogero and All Time Low just to name a few. There is a concert for every music lover! Check the unique selection of festivals, concerts and parties all around Brussels and Belgium in our January music agenda.
For its 10th edition, PHOTOBRUSSELS FESTIVAL brings together 52 exhibitions presented by contemporary art galleries, home galleries, art centres, and museums, each offering a unique perspective on the photographic medium. Tickets here.
The Design Museum hosts Design and Comics: Living in a Box, exploring design and its relationship to the world of comics. To create a visual narration that can be understood in a universal way, comic book authors have developed codes to transmit information, among these: the placement of design objects. Until March.
EU Quarter tips
The House of European History also hosts their first ever photography exhibition, titled Presence of the Past. A European album. The documentary photo expo reveals how people across Europe engage with the past in their everyday lives. Open until 11 January 2026. Discover more
Family-friendly activities
Potted Potter show condenses all seven Harry Potter books – as well as an actual Quidditch match – into just 70 minutes of unbridled humor. In a play driven by irresistible comic energy and a generous dose of magic. Until 4 January at The Viage (in French).
Also happening this month:
- Spanish master Goya takes over BOZAR with the exhibition Luz y Sombra (light and shadow) bringing his groundbreaking oeuvre into dialogue with work by contemporaries and artists from later generations. Until 11 January, find all info here.
- BOZAR highlights the work of John Baldessari, a prominent conceptual artist. Known for his paintings combining art historical references with Hollywood film stills, he blurred visual boundaries and developed a complex narrative language tinged with humour. Until 1 February.
- The city of Mons hosts the exhibition David Hockney. The Song of the Earth at the CAP, a polyphonic journey combining painting, music and poetry with Gustav Mahler’s symphony as its guiding thread. Until 25 January 2026.
For more festivals, concerts, parties and music events in Brussels and around the country, find complete information on BrusselsMusicAgenda.com
