Spring has arrived! Over the past few days we’ve been strolling around the city and loving every moment of it. The relaxed, sunny vibes are everywhere you look: jackets are unzipped, terraces are full, people are relaxing on the grass and lunch breaks stretch just a little longer. After months of grey skies the city seems to be breathing again.
One of the questions we receive often is about the best bookstores in Brussels, particularly those offering books in multiple languages. So we’ve refreshed our dusty list: updating all the newest additions to the city’s bookshop scene and, sadly, removing those that don’t exist anymore. Look no further, this is your ultimate Guide to best Brussels bookstores.
Nocturnes are back! From 12 March to 23 April, we can once again enjoy evening visits to more than 40 museums, outside their regular opening hours. For seven consecutive Thursdays, around seven Brussels museums open their doors, offering an exclusive experience.
Don’t miss this month:
So many cool events happening in the coming weeks! Let’s start with the 10th edition of BANAD Festival – a rare opportunity to visit places that are usually closed to the public. The Brussels Art Nouveau Art Deco Festival (BANAD) showcases Brussels and its districts through the prism of its emblematic architectural styles. From 14 to 29 March.
From 11 to 19 March, Villa Empain will host Zaventem Ateliers, transforming the iconic Art Deco house into a living, breathing landscape of contemporary collectible design and art. More than thirty creators will fully inhabit the space and reside there temporarily: work, eat and rest on site.
The 9th edition of COLLECTIBLE Brussels will be held at the Vanderborght building in the city centre, from 12 to 15 March. The international fair is a one of a kind platform for the showcase and discovery of the best in collectible design today. Expect a mix of leading galleries, design studios, architects and independent makers & brands.
Top tips for the coming weeks:
Beauty and Ugliness in the Renaissance – Bellezza e Bruttezza at Bozar explores how artists from Italy and Northern Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries depicted these extremes, from refined ideals to deliberate grotesques. A rare opportunity to see extraordinary works, some appearing in Belgium for the first and only time. Expect paintings, drawings, and sculptures, with works by great masters such as Botticelli, Cranach, and Massys.
The recital “Vive Boesmans!” at La Monnaie on 13 March. A leading figure in Belgian and European music, Philippe Boesmans, whose works have been performed all over the world, left a deep and lasting mark on the history of La Monnaie, the national opera of Belgium. Philippe Boesmans would have turned 90 in 2026. To mark the occasion, various Brussels institutions are coming together to honour his memory with a series of concerts and events titled “Boesmans Wave 26“.
Brosella Spring Festival is back from 25 to 28 March with four nights of live concerts and DJ sets, featuring new projects and releases from contemporary Belgian jazz.
Every year, the Klarafestival celebrates music by bringing together world stars and explorers. Let your imagination wander as soloists and ensembles bring the great classics, jazz and contemporary creations to Flagey. 20-29 March.
With around 170 exhibitors showcasing iconic furniture, unique pieces and vintage and contemporary design objects, Brussels Design Market is considered one of the largest 20th-century vintage design markets in Europe. On 21 & 22 March.
MAD Brussels has a new show from 10 March: Home Sweet Home, an exhibition reimagining birdhouses through design. It explores what a home can mean today through more than 75 birdhouses, designed by leading Belgian and international designers.
Foire du livre de Bruxelles – Brussels Book Fair, from 26 to 29 March at at Tour & Taxis.
BELDAVIA – Votre nouvelle terre d’acceuil (your new host country) is an interactive and committed exhibition-action at La Fonderie – Brussels Museum of Industry and Labour. Learn more about this place in our article Small Museums, Big Stories.
Have you already seen the Back to Pompeii exhibition in Brussels at Tour & Taxis? Plunge back in time to Pompeii, the ancient city that was frozen in time by the Vesuvius. Experience the daily life of a Pompeian family in immersive settings of exceptional quality and explore reconstructed Roman homes, artisan workshops and entertainment venues. Get inspired with our insta video tour!
New expo: Burning the Days at WIELS Museum. An exhibition dedicated to the incisive and enigmatic work of Lutz Bacher, a key figure in American conceptual art. Through photographs, appropriations, and plays on identity, the show questions the mechanisms of power, gender, and representation that permeate contemporary visual culture, engaging in dialogue with the museum’s industrial space. Until August.
Last chance: In the historic Maison Autrique, an early work by Victor Horta and a landmark of Art Nouveau in Brussels, temporary expo Loisirs – Plezier Brussels will make you step back into the 1920s and 30s, a vibrant era marked by the rise of sound film, radio, sports and popular entertainment. Through posters, photographs, objects and graphic pieces, the exhibition portrays the leisure and daily life of the inhabitants of Brussels between the two wars. Until 12 April.
Interested in the future of bar culture? Brussels Bar Show returns on 29 & 30 March with Chapter 2, inspired by Belgian heritage and a forward-looking spirit. Two days where bartenders, brands and hospitality professionals come together. Discover spirit tastings, cocktail hubs and masterclasses rooted in craftsmanship and innovation.
WeLoveBrussels activities for groups: City game Linea Recta challenge
Ready for an adventure that will test the strategic skills and curiosity of you & your colleagues? Try our Marolles & Sablon Linea Recta, an exciting discovery program in Brussels, a team-building activity that will challenge your group to work together and collaborate.
City Vibe: What we’ve read these days
Possible fifth painting by Michelangelo found in Belgium: Only four paintings are widely recognised as works by Michelangelo. However, a private owner in Brussels now believes he possesses a fifth. Read more
Bruzz recently posted interesting story about the popular Flamingo cafe, located just across the KVS theatre. The bar decided to take over the name of a popular plant shop Rocco Pantalòn which recently closed. Owner Frédéric Nicolay hopes the new name will give the café a boost and bring a sense of humor to the neighborhood.
Gastronomy aficionados should take note: From 7 March, Corinthia Hotel unveils their signature brunches with two interpretations – Sunday Astoria Brunch and Brunch After Dark. Expect a refined Sunday ritual designed for elegance and indulgence.
Bye bye Buffalo Bill: One of Brussels’ quirkiest stores set to close its doors. Read a story about the shop which attracted well-known visitors over the years, including Bruce Springsteen and Robert Plant.
Wine industry on the rise in Belgium? Unprecedented growth is driven by warmer temperatures, increasing professionalisation, and rising consumer and investor interest.
EU Quarter tips:
Have you already been to the Info Hub at the European Parliament for one of the lunchtime concerts? The Tuesday Concerts are a wonderful occasion to bring a touch of harmony and relaxed flair into the busy EU Quarter. Free access.
Women in European History, Lunch Tour at the House of European History on 17 March. As we celebrate International Women’s Rights Day in March, it is the perfect moment to discover some of the extraordinary women represented in the House of European History. Delve into the museum collection, encounter the objects linked to their lives, and learn more about their impact on Europe’s past.
Where to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Brussels? Having the largest concentration of Irish pubs in the city and heavy presence of international community, European Quarter is certainly a place to be – Irish atmosphere is already taking over the neighbourhood. 🇮🇪 Activities, music, festive moments and surprises await on 17 March in the Schuman–Monnet area. 🍀
End of works around Schuman roundabout in autumn? Latest reports indicate that the square will reopen in the fall but the plans for the reconstruction have changed so the square would be rebuilt without the originally proposed steel canopy.
Various community & neighbourhood events:
Brussels Imagination Club – Foundation of Success: What Leaders Do Differently. 11 March.
How to Use Creativity as a Tool for Well-Being in Modern Professional Life. On 10 March, the workshop by Association Bureau Brussels.
From 16 to 22 March, join many cool activities during Brussels Water Days – a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our capital’s “blue heritage” and reconnect with the flow of water throughout the city.
Also happening:
- During Klarafestival, Flagey presents the special concert day Queen’s Delight, marking an exceptional double jubilee. Queen Elisabeth was born 150 years ago, a monarch with a warm heart for music and culture. Her name lives on in the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition, which has been launching leading musical talents for decades.
- 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 19 April.
- New: “SILVA” group exhibition at Arthus Gallery brings together six artists whose practices explore matter as a living territory. Wood, minerals, images, and surfaces are worked, altered, or recomposed through gesture, time, and sometimes chance. Until 25 April.
- The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula celebrates eight centuries of history with a special program combining music, heritage, and spirituality. A true masterpiece of Brabantine Gothic, the cathedral has dominated Brussels since the 13th century. Activities, tours, and commemorative events invite you to discover this iconic landmark from a fresh perspective. All events on Gudula 26.
- LUMINISCENCE, a unique sensory journey where light and live music unite to bring the history of this legendary monument back to life. Monumental 360 degrees video mapping projections will transform the stone into a living work of art along with region’s finest choirs performing the great classics of Gregorian music. Shows run until March to celebrate the Gudula Year 2026.
- Spain takes over this year’s edition of Europalia festival, bringing visual arts, music, flamenco, cinema, literature and talks to over 30 different venues.
- New exhibition Biblioteca Nacional by Elsa Paricio opened in the Project Space of the Villa Empain.For the first time in Belgium, the Spanish artist presents a series of works on paper, videos, and installations. The original scenography, specially created for the exhibition, revolves around the monumental work Biblioteca Nacional, a poetic accumulation of traces, a memory in the making.
- UP! Festival: For several days, national and international companies present shows that combine acrobatics, theater, and experimentation, solidifying Brussels as one of Europe’s hubs for the performing arts. From 12 to 22 March.
- The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences invites you to take flight and discover how animals and humans are able to soar through the skies. An exhibition that explores both nature and technology, FLIGHT presents a magnificent array of fossils, stuffed birds and model aeroplanes. Recommended for visitors aged 10 and above. Until 9 August 2026.
- The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium presents Spilliaert Room, a new room dedicated to the poetic and mysterious world of the Belgian painter, illustrator and draughtsman Léon Spilliaert.
- Expo: If you fancy a quick trip from Brussels, La Boverie in Liège hosts a major retrospective devoted to Robert Doisneau, one of the greatest masters of 20th-century photography. Nearly 400 images, ranging from his early work in the 1930s to the end of his career, are featured in a rich and sensitive display.
- For festivals, concerts, parties and music events in Brussels and around the country, find complete information in our March Music Agenda.
We hope you are enjoying our monthly guide to Brussels! We pull together the most interesting local events, mixed with inspiring stories & tips so you can make the most of the city life.
