On Monday, November 9, 2026, the very first edition of the Belgian Baguette Awards will take place at Bread Fest. More than 50 artisan bakeries from Wallonia, Brussels, and Flanders will present their baguettes to a jury of five professionals. The goal: to identify the best artisan baguette in Belgium.
Belgium boasts numerous artisan bakers, millers, trainers, and enthusiasts, but no event was entirely dedicated to them. Bread Fest fills this gap: a festival conceived by and for artisan bakeries, bringing together Wallonia, Brussels, and Flanders in one place.
Natural sourdough, local flours, long fermentation, organic, gluten-free, recruitment: the program addresses the topics that are currently making headlines in the profession. The festival is aimed at professionals – bakers, future bakers, schools – but also at informed amateurs who want to better understand the bread they eat. There will be workshops, round tables, factory visits, millers’ and suppliers’ stands, recruitment, and the first competition for the best artisanal baguette in Belgium: for one day, some 1,000 industry professionals are expected to exchange ideas, learn, and celebrate bread.
On the agenda
Belgian Baguette Awards – the first competition for the best artisanal baguette in Belgium, judged by a jury.
Workshops – practical workshops in small groups focusing on sourdough, focaccia and vegan cinnamon buns.
Roundtables – free discussions on organic products, sourdough, gluten-free products and setting up a micro-bakery.
Visits – discovering the craft workshops located at Be-Here.
Stands – around thirty millers, suppliers, schools and innovative projects.
Speed Baking – express job interviews between bakeries that are recruiting and candidates.
Demos – freely accessible throughout the day.
“To put artisanal bread in the spotlight”
“Artisanal baking is experiencing a real revival in Belgium, but its players rarely have the opportunity to get together. With the Bread Fest, we wanted to create this place: a festival where you learn, where you share your know-how, where you recruit and where you celebrate good bread, from the north to the south of the country,” explains Géry Brusselmans, organizer of the Bread Fest.
The competition awards the best baguette in Belgium and the three best baguettes per region (Wallonia, Brussels, and Flanders). The results will be announced on Monday, November 23, during a press conference in Brussels.
The competition is organized by Tartine et Boterham, the guide to bakeries in Belgium, with the support of Debic, Moulins Bourgeois, and Foricher.
Practical info
Date: Monday, November 9, 2026, from 9 am to 5 pm – tasting by the jury throughout the day
Location: Bread Fest , Be-Here, Dieudonné Lefèvrestraat 4, 1020 Brussels (Tour & Taxis)
Website: www.breadfest.be
