Brussels 'symphonic', Brussels 'on stage', Brussels 'summer/festival', Brussels 'gourmet', Brussels 'in the glow of', Brussels 'on display', Brussels 'to your health' ...
The BRUSSELS PHILARMONIC (formerly known as the Vlaams Radio Orkest) is based in Brussels in the famous STUDIO 4 (very well known for its acoustics) of the FLAGEY building (this liner is docked and at port).
This world-renowned Belgian symphony orchestra was founded in 1935 (today it is a true "institution" of the Flemish Community).
A "talented orchestra" with a very broad repertoire that plays all year round.... The orchestra plays all year round, especially in Belgium (e.g. at BOZAR) and is present on the biggest international stages.
As in 2019, during its "performances" at the CARNEGIE HALL (a famous and very "distinguished" concert hall, "prestigious" ...since 1890) in New York
So many legends have played in this mythical hall!
Among them, great interpreters and composers such as :
Tchaikovsky (Russian composer 1840/1893), whose name is on a Music School in Brussels (Woluwé Saint Lambert).
Tchaikovsky was played this year during the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition of Belgium (the piano in the spotlight in 2021) at BOZAR in Brussels (from 03/05/21 - 09/06/21).
This PALAIS DES BEAUX-ARTS (an architectural masterpiece by Victor Horta) is located just a stone's throw from the Arbany hotels.
You can listen to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky during the CANDLELIGHT festival, which is once again taking place in Brussels (2nd edition) and is proving to be a great success. Its concept has seduced many cities around the world.
CANDLELIGHT, a musical fresco where the notes move, harmonise and fade.
A fairytale world. Muffled atmosphere.
Nothing like a musical break. Followed by a break in one of the rooms of the Arbany Hotels. ("Mythical" hotels for a "magical night").
No, not Catherine Lara (real name. Catherine Bodet, French violinist, singer, composer, author, arranger and producer) and her 'magic night'.
If you are interested in this festival with all its events, don't delay in booking your tickets. And your room at the Hotel Aris Grand-Place and the Hotel Alma Grand-Place.
Premium rooms are waiting for you, some with a view of the GRAND-PLACE of Brussels. And have the opportunity to admire the illuminated Brussels City Hall Tower at dusk.
The magic of music by candlelight is back in Brussels until the end of December 2021.
Brussels 'sensory'!
Let's not forget the interdisciplinary festival ARTONOV, which will take place in Brussels from 3 to 10 October 2021 (7th edition) and is inspired by the international Art Nouveau movement.
The word "Artonov" is a play on words that defines the vision of the festival.
Thanks to ARTONOV, you can rediscover Brussels' heritage by attending a concert, a performance or a show.
It is a pure delight to have the opportunity to reinvest in Art Nouveau venues (already open to the public or private).
This year's venues include
The MAISON DE LA POSTE, an emblematic building, a witness of Brussels' industrial heritage. It is located on the site of TOUR & TAXI.
TOUR & TAXI, whose Maritime Station will host one of the largest gourmet halls in Europe from this autumn, offering "a glimpse of the Belgian gastronomic scene". Giant food market.
The Brussels gastronomy festival "EAT BRUSSELS, DRINK BORDEAUX" returns this year from 2 to 11 September 2021 at the sumptuous Gare Martime of TOUR & TAXIS. Special edition "Dinners".
Very democratic prices. 75 euros per person, a mouthful for the quality offered.
Different gastronomic menus (5 courses) every evening this year.
Ten days of festival, ten teams, ten menus.
Brussels "world city", capital of "bien-vivre" and creativity.
Your taste buds will travel thanks to the various invited Brussels chefs and craftsmen who come from excellent establishments in "our" capital (the most cosmopolitan in the world). Here is a non-exhaustive list of restaurants, brasseries, patisseries, cheese shops and cocktail bars:
"RACINES" (Italian cuisine in Ixelles),
"OLDBOY" (modern Asian canteen, a bit "rock and roll" in Brussels /Ixelles),
"CIPIACE" (cocktail bar and Italian cuisine on the PARVIS DE SAINT-GILLES),
"JULIEN HASARD AFFINEUR" (cheese ripener in Uccles)
"GINKGO" (pastry shop in Saint-Gilles)
"GREEN LAB" (gin and cocktail bar in a unique setting between industrial and steampunk, avenue Louise in Ixelles)
"CHABROL" (not to be confused with the French film director Claude Chabrol (1930/2010).
Restaurant in Schaerbeeck. Art Nouveau decor.
"LA CANNE EN VILLE" (gastronomic restaurant in a former butcher's shop in the Brugmann district)
"SAN Sablon" (restaurant in the centre of Brussels. Gastronomic cuisine. Delicacy at the bottom of a bowl).
"FROM COMPTOIR" (cheese and cream shop in Saint-Gilles... Not like the others. You can also find delicatessen, salads, wines, beers,... ).
Étienne Boissy was crowned best cheese maker in France in 2004.
"EDGAR'S FLAVORS" (cocktail bar in Ixelles)
"ISABELLE ARPIN" (eponymous restaurant of this chef, Master Chef of Belgium in 2020).
Signature" restaurant
Isabelle Arpin, this lady-chef, has just opened a food truck "ORIGINE" in the heart of Brussels, which offers Baladi, traditional Egyptian sandwiches.
A new adventure.
And what about her take-away? Under the sign "LA BONNE ETOILE".
Brussels, and chefs' meals in take-away. A whole "MENU" ?
"VINCENT DENIS DESSERT BAR" (VDDB).
Vincent Denis, this pastry chef became in 2014 "First cook of Belgium".
The Asian restaurant "YiI - CHAN" (which means heritage in Mandarin). It is located in the heart of Brussels in the district known as "Little Chinatown". Chinese and Vietnamese dishes.
"LA SOURCE BEER Co." is a Brussels craft brewery and short circuit bar in Laeken, near Tour & Taxis.
Their concept: to taste beers where they are produced.
Each of their beers is named after an animal.
The bar regularly organises events and free concerts.
Brewery, bar and cultural venue.
The BRUSSELS FOOD FESTIVAL dedicated to "mobile kitchens" (since 2015), an annual event (free admission) for a "different" and surprising taste experience, had been held from 10 to 12 September 2021 in Auderghem (Boulevard du Souverain).
A friendly and family atmosphere, a moment of discovery and greed.
The largest annual gathering of food trucks in Europe!
The BELGIAN BEER WEKEND (Weekend of the Belgian Beer) which takes place on the Grand-Place of Brussels and behind the Bourse is cancelled this year.
A fair where you can taste the hundreds of different kinds of beers from Belgium, probably the best in the world?
In 2019, the 21st edition of this event attracted 50,000 drink lovers
See you on 2, 3 and 4 September 2022.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Don't forget to book your rooms on our sites. See the advantages we offer you.
The annual WANDERLUST CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL organised by the Brussels Beer Project (BBP, 8th year) took place on the weekend of 11 and 12 September 2021 on the quays of Sainte-Catherine, (14 Craft breweries from 10 different countries: USA, Argentina, UK, Germany, Estonia...).
The Belgian beer culture is a Unesco heritage site (2017).
What do you think of the new mural by the Croatian artist ojoMAGico (real name Jadranka Lackovic), which will be inaugurated in April 2021 (quai de la Houille)?
This fresco entitled "No Borders" is part of the Street Art trail.
The BRUSSELLS DESIGN MARKET (BDM), created in 2002, will be held on 25 and 26 September 2021 at the Gare Maritime in TOUR & TAXIS.
The BDM has become the largest design market in Europe (more than 100 exhibitors, 8000 m2) dedicated to 20th century vintage design.
In 2019, the BRUSSELS DESIGN MARKET joined the 100th anniversary of Jules Wabbes (1919/1974), an emblematic figure of Belgian design in the 50s and 60s, with a thematic exhibition.
A relaxed "flea market" atmosphere where bargain hunters from all over Europe meet to find some nuggets.
The CONTEMPORARY DESIGN MARKET (CDM), 3rd edition, a real showcase of contemporary Belgian design, will join the BDM.
A special opportunity to meet designers, collectors, architects...
Brussels, "design city".
The BRUSSELS DESIGN SEPTEMBER (BDS) festival will take place this year from 7 to 30 September in many places in our capital (more than 100 cultural and commercial events: exhibitions, debates, studio visits, etc.).
For a month, the city becomes the meeting place for many Belgian and international designers.
Near the ATOMIUM, you will find the DESIGN MUSEUM BRUSSELS, (a place dedicated́ to design and its history).
Temporary exhibitions, workshops, guided tours, events, conferences.... are on the agenda.
Since July 2021, the "Atomium play" application allows you to discover the history of the Atomium via your "smartphone" (interactive experience).
A new gaming experience.
The Atomium wants to reconnect with a young audience.
The exhibition "Chaise, Stoel, Chair. Defining Design" at the Design Brussels Museum has been extended until 19 September 2021.
Thanks also to the collections of THE DESIGN MUSEUM (London), GALILA'S POC ("space" located in Forest, 1500m2), the exhibition explores, through 100 chairs, the universe of design and questions its evolution from the end of the 19th century to today.
POC= Passion, Obsession, Collection
The Place du Grand Sablon hosted the 4th edition of SABLON DESIGN MARKET from 10 to 12 September 2021.
The Brussels district of the Sablon (a historical place of the capital nestled in the heart of the Pentagon and just a stone's throw from the Grand Place and the Arbany hotels) is famous for its antique shops and art dealers.
A real trip back in time is planned for you while keeping both feet in Brussels...
Since 2013, the MARCHÉ GOURMET du Sablon is held every Thursday from 3pm to 9pm.
A lively and refined meeting place where you can find original and gastronomic products from around twenty street vendors, all of whom have their own AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée).
The BRUSSELS GALLERY WEEKEND was held its 13th edition in Brussels from 9 to 12 September 2021.
Some forty galleries and more than ten institutions and artists' spaces will open their doors to the public (art lovers, the informed, the curious, collectors, families, etc.).
The perfect opportunity to discover the eclecticism and richness of Brussels' galleries.
Putting the reader's eye on the prize
Art is on display throughout Brussels!
Culture is back in the spotlight.
Brussels is "the place to be" to keep up with current trends and creations.
Discover drawing (ancient, modern, contemporary) through the BRUSSELS DRAWING WEEK (14 - 19 September 2021 / 2nd edition).
The international contemporary drawing fair in Brussels, ART ON PAPER (15-09-2021> 19-09-2021) will be present in the heart of Brussels (in collaboration with BOZAR).
Many artists have been selected by Belgian and international galleries.
ARTONOV is also taking over the TOUR A PLOMB centre, a former disused industrial site converted into a cultural and sports centre recognisable by its chimney rising into the Brussels sky, in the "Jardin aux fleurs" district, in the heart of the city and next to the Brussels-Charleroi canal.
Also the HOTEL VAN EETVELDE, a mansion designed by Victor Horta in three phases.
This mansion and its extensions sum up the evolution of the style of "our" pioneer of the Art Nouveau style in architecture.
Edmond Van Eetvelde (1853-1925) was a diplomat and secretary general of the independent state of Congo. He became a baron in 1897.
And the HOTEL MAX HALLET, another Art Nouveau mansion built by Victor Horta, who marked a softened style in his career.
It is located on Avenue Louise, where part of this street has been transformed into a cycle lane since the end of August 2021.
Cyclists now have priority and can use the full width of the street.
Max Hallet (1864/1841), Belgian lawyer and politician.
The "COLPAERT WORKSHOP" in Schaerbeeck.
Florent-Prosper Colpaert (1886/1940) Belgian glass painter.
CANDLELIGHT, a breathtaking experience. Unique. Unusual. Not to be missed!
CANDLELIGHT has a very eclectic programme.
To find out, we'll see you at the next episode...
By Marc L.
*Translated in English by Ambre