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Upcoming festivals in Belgium

According to Shou, there are 14 upcoming festivals across Belgium.

Belgium brings together an exciting mix of fifteen upcoming festivals in the months ahead. Music lovers can experience lively performances at events like The Weekender Nights, featuring Chanel Beads, The Avalanches, and IAMDDB. Meanwhile, audiences can also enjoy distinct gatherings such as Tough Enough with David Eugene Edwards alongside the Dag van Verzet tegen Armoede.

● Brussels 11

MashaaDunya FestivalFestivalMashaaDunya FestivalMashaaDunya is a Brussels-based multidisciplinary festival that highlights the cultural intersections resulting from migrations and diasporas. Through art, music, cinema, and collective creation, it creates spaces for encounters between Moroccan, Turkish, Congolian, and Belgian cultures. Conceived as an artistic, civic, and pedagogical space, MashaaDunya values the narratives and memories of communities often absent from traditional cultural circuits. The festival is not limited to showing works; it creates contexts of exchange, reflection, and co-creation where art becomes a tool for mutual understanding and social transformation.Saturday · 17 October · 00:00 – 23:59Various places in Brussels · Brussels Museum Night FeverFestivalMuseum Night FeverGet ready for a night full of cabaret, improv theatre, and dance, where the music journeys from the sounds of the traditional Belgian hommel to dystopian sound labs and the vibrant rhythms of Congolese rumba. Step into a sewer, be part of a Zinneke Parade, become a player in a live game, or watch a live tattoo performance; Museum Night Fever has something for everyone!  Saturday 17 October 2026 - 28 museums in Brussels  Museums open their doors from 19:00 till 01:00.   The afterparties take place at C12 between 23:30-07:00 and at Botanique between 23:30-05:00.   Prices   Presales – 28.09 > 16.10    Standard ticket €18 Combi ticket: standard + afterparty C12 or Botanique €29   On the day - 17.10   Standard ticket €22  Combi ticket: standard + afterparty C12 or Botanique €33  Social discount rates are available through Article 27 (€1,25 a ticket) and Paspartoe (€2 a ticket or a €6 discount via Cultuurbon), and the European Disability Card (5€ discount). Points of Sale   Online: museumnightfever.be  + muntpunt and in various museums  The full programme will be online on www.museumnightfever.be from 28 September.Saturday · 17 October · 19:00 – 23:59Brussels Museums · Brussels The Weekender NightsFestivalThe Weekender Nights30/10: IAMDDB: The Live Jazz Experience • Arima Ederra • Kabeaushé • keiyaA • Momo Boyd • Natanya • Tasha 31/10: The Avalanches • Antony Szmierek • Fade Evare • Hether • KatzPascale • Konradsen • Magi Merlin • Momoko Gill • Rian Brazil • Robber Robber • Swapmeet • Victoryland 01/11: Chanel Beads • ear • A Good Year • bloodsports • Camille Keller • feeo • Lindy Versyck • Loukeman • MGNA Crrrta • Patch + • Quiet Light • Space Afrika (A/V) • Superfan • weed420 • Worldpeace DMTFriday · 30 October · 00:00 – 23:59Botanique · Brussels The Nights Weekender : IAMDDB (The Live Jazz Experience) & many moreFestivalThe Nights Weekender : IAMDDB (The Live Jazz Experience) & many moreIAMDDB IAMDDB is an Angolan-British artist originally from Manchester, considered the initiator of what she calls the “Urban Jazz”, a hybrid aesthetic where contemporary jazz, hip-hop, trap, and R&B meet in the same organic flow. At the crossroads of disciplines, she develops a musical and stage practice that goes beyond traditional formats, also integrating a performative and visual dimension. Revealed in 2016 with Leaned Out, she quickly established a singular sonic identity, blending hazy harmonies and modern rhythms. The viral success of Shade in 2017, as well as her notable performances on COLORS, confirm her rise and her ability to create an immediately identifiable universe. Collaborating with artists such as Masego, Diplo, Lauryn Hill, Bryson Tiller or Jhené Aiko, IAMDDB is part of an international dynamic while maintaining an independent approach. Through several EPs and a series of singles, she explores a wide spectrum of influences ranging from neo-soul to reggae, including house and experimental jazz.Friday · 30 October · 18:30 – 23:59Botanique · Brussels The Nights Weekender : The Avalanches & many moreFestivalThe Nights Weekender : The Avalanches & many moreThe Avalanches is an Australian group formed by Robbie Chater, Tony Di Blasi and Andy Szekeres, considered one of the most influential formations in contemporary electronic music. Their approach to sampling, made of lush collages and recomposed sound fragments, deeply marked the aesthetic of the beginning of the 21st century. Revealed with Since I Left You, a founding album of modern sampledelia, the group imposes a cinematic and abundant musical writing, where each track becomes a landscape in motion. This first record opens a new path in electronic music, hailed for its inventiveness and its visionary character. Throughout their career, The Avalanches continue this exploration through albums like Wildflower and We Will Always Love You, expanding their sound palette while maintaining an identity based on collage and musical memory. With several hundred million listens and a lasting influence on the global electronic scene, the group continues to occupy a singular place in contemporary culture, notably via recent collaborations like the one with Jamie xx on All You Children in 2024. Rotonde + Museum + Witloof Bar Genre: electronic, hip hop, r&b, rock Price: Bota'Carte: €39 Ticket: €43 Combi Ticket Bota'Carte: €90 Combi Ticket: €96Saturday · 31 October · 15:30 – 23:30Botanique · Brussels Classical at the Abbey: Trio FenixFestivalClassical at the Abbey: Trio FenixThe rebirth of Goldberg Ce Sunday, the famous Variations Goldberg de Jean-Sébastien Bach are reborn. The original aria with variations for keyboard (written, according to legend, for a nobleman suffering from insomnia) benefits from a fascinating new light in a refined adaptation for string trio. The string instrumentalists give each part a character of its own, while the architecture of Bach's masterpiece remains rock solid. Le Trio Fenix is composed of Shirley Laub, Tony Nys, and Karel Steylaerts, internationally renowned musicians.Sunday · 1 November · 11:00 – 12:30Dieleghem Abbey · Brussels The Nights Weekender: Chanel Beads - ear & many moreFestivalThe Nights Weekender: Chanel Beads - ear & many moreChanel Beads Chanel Beads is the project of Shane Lavers, an American musician from the DIY scenes between Seattle and New York, where he develops a sonic writing at the border of experimental and deconstructed pop. Since his beginnings, Chanel Beads has been shaping an unstable language, made of synthetic textures, fragmented voices, and hybrid instrumentations. Revealed online by tracks like Ef or True Altruism, the project gradually established itself on the margins of the alternative scene, carried by an intimate and disconcerting aesthetic, where traditional forms of the song dissolve in favor of a diffuse emotional narration. This trajectory led him to larger stages, up to opening tours for artists like Lorde. Avec Your Day Will Come, recorded in a minimal studio in Brooklyn, Chanel Beads continues this exploration of a blurry territory between certainty and doubt, memory and disappearance. Faithful to an instinctive approach to the studio, Shane Lavers favors the moment, the accident, and the direct take, letting the tracks emerge without a filter, in a logic of permanent tension between control and abandonment. ear ear is a true collaborative project where each sonic element is born from a constant dialogue between two sensibilities. Anchored in an IDM and experimental approach, the project assembles fragmented textures, unstable rhythms, and mutating soundscapes. Their music functions like a collage, where electronic experimentation confronts a more intimate, almost sentimental writing, attentive to details and concrete emotions. This tension between abstraction and narration gives their work a dimension that is both cerebral and deeply human.Sunday · 1 November · 15:30 – 23:59Botanique · Brussels Ars Musica Festival — ARCTIC FEVERFestivalArs Musica Festival — ARCTIC FEVER“There is nothing more beautiful than this Arctic night. It is the land of dreams, the colour of unreality.” Fridtjof Nansen, Vers le Pôle Iceland, Scandinavia, Finland or the Baltic states: Ars Musica 2026 ventures into captivating musical landscapes where contemporary creation resonates with vast expanses of ice, rock, flowing water and forests. Featured composers Anders Hillborg (Sweden) and Kristine Tjøgersen (Norway) will guide us through these northern territories, alongside the elemental and spiritual worlds of Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Arvo Pärt and Kaija Saariaho, as well as new works by Helena Tulve, Erkki-Sven Tüür and Bergrún Snæbjörnsdóttir. But Arctic Fever is also the fever of a North that is overheating. Glaciers melt and collapse into the sea; landscapes shift into the unknown. This fragile reality has inspired works such as Jean-Luc Fafchamps’ Messe des Glaces and Frédéric Verrières’ Cristallisation. Here, ice fields and the languages of northern peoples acquire a renewed poetic resonance. Far from the bacterial infection the title may evoke, the fever we celebrate is one of joy… of contagious exhilaration! Hearts race, bodies move, and music becomes a celebration of life itself, from hip-hop dance to contemporary trance, with Régis Campo’s Beatbox Concerto, Bastien David’s Nous sommes Orage, and many more. 50 events / 25 locations / 20 creations / 10 cities. Remaining true to its human-centred vision of music, Ars Musica 2026 brings together some of the most compelling voices in contemporary creation, from Belgium and beyond. Open to everyone – music lovers, adults, students and children alike – the festival is made possible through partnerships across Belgium and internationally, including Ensemble Intercontemporain, Cikada Ensemble, the Belgian National Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, Chœur de Chambre de Namur and Quatuor Diotima. Finally, this edition’s subtitle: [We Are Hot]. It expresses our conviction that discovering new artistic creation is exciting and that in a world that is literally heating up, we have to continue to burn with curiosity about the world around us. In music, perhaps more than anywhere else: let our enthusiasm be a reminder to be aware, and let our awareness be a reminder to always remain enthusiastic.Saturday · 14 November · 00:00 – 23:59Ars Musica · Brussels Tough Enough : David Eugene Edwards & Many moreFestivalTough Enough : David Eugene Edwards & Many moreDavid Eugene Edwards David Eugene Edwards is widely regarded as one of the most influential and uncompromising voices in modern American music. Emerging from the Denver underground with 16 Horsepower in the 1990s, Edwards forged the Denver sound that resonated deeply across Europe—an intense fusion of Gothic Americana, folk tradition, and spiritual fervor that found particularly devoted audiences in France, Belgium, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, and Germany. His later work with Wovenhand expanded that reach, inspiring artists across post-punk, neofolk, metal, and experimental sceneswho cite his visionary approach as a defining influence. With Mercurial Silence, his forth comingand second solo album, Edwards enters a new chapter while continuing the thematic and sonic explorations that have made him a singular figure on the European stage. His live performances remain magnetic and ritualistic — drawing on ancient musical lineages, devotional intensity, and a raw emotional power that transcends genre. For European listeners who have followed his work for decades, Edwards stands not only as a pioneering American songwriter but as a cultural bridge, shaping the dialogue between folk tradition, spiritual music, and contemporary experimental sound.Saturday · 21 November · 14:00 – 23:59Botanique · Brussels Festival Cinemamed 2026FestivalFestival Cinemamed 2026The Cinemamed festival (Brussels Mediterranean Film Festival) is back from 26 November to 4 December at the Palace Cinema and the Aventure Cinema! Some screenings will also take place at Espace Magh, Cinema Galeries, Bozar, W:Halll, RITCS and Cinematek! This is the event of the year to discover a selection of quality films reflecting the social and cultural realities of the entire Mediterranean basin. On the programme for this 26th edition: powerful documentaries, original fiction films, short films, previews, concerts and a multitude of events that create the warm and friendly atmosphere of Cinemamed! Since 1989, Cinemamed has been promoting multiculturalism and highlighting socially engaged themes. It is also a forum for reflection and dialogue between people and cultures. Come and talk to filmmakers, film crews, association members and specialists at the many meetings and debates organised after the screenings.Thursday · 26 November · 18:00 – 23:59Cinéma Palace · Brussels Seeds for Story, Trees for TellingFestivalSeeds for Story, Trees for TellingMORE INFO SOON-ISHTuesday · 8 December · 13:00 – 18:00Beursschouwburg · Brussels

● Antwerp 2

Dag van Verzet tegen ArmoedeFestivalDag van Verzet tegen ArmoedeOn the International Day of Resistance against Poverty, STA-AN, SAAMO, Curieus vzw, Tutti Fratelli and Spreken is Goud by De Roma invite you to join people living in poverty in seeing the world in a completely different light – through their eyes.Through music, words and dance, we’ll make the voices of those who are least heard ring out louder than ever.During the support programme, we’ll be bringing De Roma to life with puppet theatre, hands-on activities and (free) soup for anyone who’d like some. The Kloofdichters will also be joining us.Tutti Fratelli will open the programme on the main stage. Through their singing and performance – which touch the heart like no other – they give voice to the pain of poverty.Spoken word artist Farida Zaouad will lead the way in the struggle – which we want to wage together with you. Her poetry cuts right to the heart of the matter. Gillian and Zohran, in turn, will find their way into your heart with music drawn from their own reality.Isis’s voice draws us to the strength of people living in poverty, whilst Rubens fills your head with his upbeat rap. Tarmacadam round off the main stage with their powerful drums.Afterwards, we invite you to a warm and spirited concert in the Foyer. Roufaida creates pop music that gets under your skin. She draws inspiration from Arabic poetry and her North African roots, translating them into what troubles the world and what unites us.DJ Yakub Dysney gets the party in full swing with his beats and grooves.Host of the evening is none other than Soe Nsuki, author, screenwriter, TV producer and stand-up comedian. For Soe, who has also experienced the injustice of poverty first-hand, vulnerability and humour go hand in hand.We invite you to take a different look at poverty.Saturday · 17 October · 18:00 – 22:15De Roma · Antwerp When the Bulbul Stopped SingingFestivalWhen the Bulbul Stopped SingingAmid the ongoing occupation and genocide, Bulbul Speaks and Antwerp for Palestine are organizing for the third time a day of solidarity with the Palestinian people, at Rataplan and De Roma.When the Bulbul Stopped Singing is a celebration of culture and history, a call to action, and a place for mourning. Because we believe that resistance unites, Bulbul Speaks and Antwerp for Palestine are raising funds in favour of small, local causes. For beauty and friendship speak a language that the war machine does not master.The day begins at Rataplan with a programme for young and old alike. Afterwards, we’ll head over to De Roma together. At AMOR, you can attend an action market, talks and have a delicious meal prepared by Antwerp for Palestine.The evening programme at De Roma consists of a celebration of Palestinian culture, history and future. We’ll start with the intimate music of Maya Al Khaldi and the electronic soundscapes of SAWT, followed by the dabke group El Kofieh 48 and an after-party by Palestinian Sound Archive.Maya Al Khaldi / مايا الخالدي is a composer and musician from Palestine, based in Jerusalem. In her work, she explores the voices and music of the past and the present. Her debut album, *Other World*, is inspired by Palestinian folklore and influenced by the present, in order to envision the future.SAWT / صوت is a Palestinian experimental electronic artist, musician and producer, based in Brussels. He creates electronic soundscapes, rhythms and melodies from field recordings and combines them into a blend of techno, ambient and experimental sounds.El Kofieh 48 / الكوفية48 is a Palestinian dabke group based in Belgium. They perform throughout the country and far beyond. Dabke is more than a dance; it is a living cultural tradition, an expression of resistance and a celebration of Palestinian identity.Palestinian Sound Archive / الأرشيف الصوتي الفلسطيني was founded by the Palestinian actor and filmmaker Mo’min Swaitat. It is an impressive archive of cassettes and vinyl records from Palestine and beyond, ranging from recordings of weddings to songs of resistance, poetry, soul, folk songs and jazz. The Palestinian Sound Archive focuses on sampling, remixing and re-releasing vintage Palestinian and Arab music, highlighting the richness and diversity of Palestinian and Arab cultural and musical heritage.This programme is an initiative of Bulbul Speaks and Antwerp for Palestine, in collaboration with Spreken is Goud by De Roma, Rataplan, Het Bos and Stormkop. With the support of Arenberg.The proceeds from the meal at AMOR, the sale of posters and other items, and the donations collected at De Roma will be channelled via Antwerp for Palestine to severely affected families in Gaza and a medical centre in the Al-Mawasi area in the south of the Gaza Strip.Saturday · 24 October · 18:00 – 22:15De Roma · Antwerp

● Ghent 1

Night of the FreethinkerFestivalNight of the FreethinkerThe annual ideas festival Nacht van de Vrijdenker returns in its familiar festival format on Saturday, November 21, 2026. Expect an all-day parallel program spread across four rooms, featuring debates, lectures, and panel discussions on philosophy, social issues, science, and critical thinking by speakers from home and abroad. To offer nuance, where black-and-white thinking keeps us on the surface. To critically examine complex social developments, distinguish fact from fiction, and transform fear into dialogue. Expect a whirlwind of debates, lectures, and panel discussions on philosophy, social issues, science, and critical thinking by speakers from home and abroad. The Nacht van de Vrijdenker brings a whirlwind of insights and ideas that opens up new perspectives and offers depth on the cutting edge. FESTIVAL PROGRAM Theater Hall, De Vooruit Dirk De Wachter - 'Waiting Without Expectation' | 17:15-18:00 Everything has to be faster and faster. Whoever waits seems to be left behind. Psychiater Dirk De Wachter sees it differently: waiting can be an active attitude, attentive, hopeful, and connected to the other. A plea to take time in an impatient culture. Christophe Busch - 'Disagree, But Agree!' | 18:45-19:30 What if we can no longer understand each other? Inspired by Hannah Arendt, Christophe Busch explores how polarization, disinformation, and ‘depluralization’ put our shared reality under pressure. How do we protect space for difference, doubt, and dialogue – and continue to see each other as human? Rodante van der Waal in conversation with Anton Van Dyck - 'Reproductive Justice' | 20:15-21:15 Who decides on a pregnancy or childbirth and who is heard in the process? Midwife and philosopher Rodante van der Waal and Anton Van Dyck van Compagnon discuss abortion, obstetric violence, and reproductive rights that are not a given for everyone. Ludo De Brabander & Roberta Haar, Stavros Kelepouris - 'Europe Rediscovers Geopolitics' | 22:00-23:00 (English spoken) Those who want peace must prepare for war: is that the new reality for Europe? While the continent invests more in weapons, Europe's ideals clash with a world full of autocrats. Ludo De Brabander and Roberta Haar investigate how much of Europe's DNA can survive. Ballroom, De Vooruit Ype de Boer - 'How Do We Find Happiness?' | 17:00-17:45 Happiness is everywhere. But what if our hunt for happiness actually makes us unhappy? Filosoof Ype de Boer investigates why we have become suspicious of happiness and asks an uncomfortable question: what does ‘true happiness’ mean in a world that constantly tries to sell it? Sikivu Hutchinson - 'Humanists in the Hood: unapologetically Black, Feminist and Heretical' | 18:30-19:15 (English spoken) What does secularism have to do with resistance? Quite a lot, argues Sikivu Hutchinson. From a black feminist humanist perspective, she exposes how racism, sexism, and religious nationalism intertwine. And why freethought is only truly free when it makes space for everyone. Roel Meijvis – 'A Philosophy of Activism' | 20:00-20:45 The world is on fire. What are you doing? Roel Meijvis returns to Camus, Sartre, and De Beauvoir for a philosophy of resistance. Their ideas on freedom, responsibility, and engagement prove surprisingly relevant in a time when looking away no longer seems an option. Clarice Gargard interviewed by Annelies Moons – 'After Resistance Comes (R)evolution: What Can I Do?' | 21:30-22:30 Annelies Moons is in conversation with Clarice Gargard about her book 'After Resistance Comes (R)evolution'. About how resistance alone changes nothing and power repeats itself if you merely fight it. About how peace, joy, and imagination can make space for real change. Hannelore Van Bavel - 'Whose Autonomy Counts?' | 23:00-23:45 When is cutting into a body mutilation, and when is it beauty? Hannelore Van Bavel investigates why we accept some procedures and forbid others. About autonomy, gender, and medical power — and about the often surprisingly thin line between choice and control. Dome Hall, De Vooruit Stine Jensen - 'Toward a New Kind of Atheism' | 17:15 – 18:00 Atheism can afford to be a bit more mischievous. Stine Jensen advocates for a freethinking voice that re-engages in social debate. About belief, freedom, and the public space, but above all about the question of how we can live together without a single dominant voice. Emile Badarin - 'Sumud: Decolonizing with Perseverance' | 18:30 – 19:15 (English spoken) Recognition sounds like an emancipatory ideal, but Emile Badarin shows how it can also justify dispossession and violence. Taking Met Palestina as a case study, he explores an alternative: sumud, the Palestinian concept of perseverance, as a lens for a just future for everyone. Jur Deitmers interviewed by Bart Van Kerkhove - 'The Boy Without Yesterday' | 20:00 – 21:00 Jur Deitmers had to learn everything all over again after a double encephalitis. How did he view a world he no longer knew? Who are you without memory? Together with professor Bart Van Kerkhove, he investigates how flexible our identity is. Suzanne Roes - 'The Ethical Criminal' | 21:30 – 22:15 Sometimes you have to break the law to do right. From suffragettes to climate activists: ‘ethical criminals’ consciously break rules they consider unjust. When does civil disobedience become a moral duty — and who decides where the line is? Flor Didden - 'Call Me When You Get There' | 23:00 – 23:45 What really happens at the external borders of Europe? Flor Didden combines gripping stories with a sharp analysis of ten years of European migration policy, and outlines what a humane and realistic alternative can look like. Dance Studio, De Vooruit Dorian Accoe, Pieter Beck & Anaïs Van Ertvelde – Desirable Genes | 16:45 – 17:45 Knowing even before pregnancy whether your child will have a hereditary condition: we can do more and more, and more and more parents are doing it. But who decides which traits are desirable and which are not? Dorian Accoe, Pieter Beck, and Anaïs Van Ertvelde seek the answer between ethics and eugenics. Kurt Beckers - 'Who Created Who?' | 18:15 – 19:00 God did not create man. Man created God. In 1841, Ludwig Feuerbach inverted an age-old taken-for-granted truth: perhaps God is nothing more than our own desire for perfection. Kurt Beckers highlights why Feuerbach's provocation still rubs raw. Nick Bull – 'Freethinkers in Danger' | 19:45 – 20:30 (English spoken) Freethought can cost you your freedom. In some countries, even your life. Nick Bull van Humanists International reveals how laws, discrimination, and religious pressure affect unbelievers and secular voices worldwide. Who protects the right *not* to believe? Tim ’S Jongers, Wouter Arrazola de Oñate & Jana Kerremans - 'Unequally Healthy' | 21:30 – 22:15 Your health is not just a matter of choices. Whoever is poor, lower-educated, or marginalized faces more health risks. Yet the government places increasing responsibility on the individual. How healthy is a society that translates structural inequality into personal responsibility? Simon Truwant - 'Why You Can't Win a Debate with Facts' | 23:00 – 00:00 Why can't you win a debate with facts, and why is hypocrisy less bad than it seems? Cultuurfilosoof Simon Truwant provides a clear conceptual framework in this workshop to help an interested citizen navigate complex social discussions. All information can be found at www.nachtvandevrijdenker.be. Don't want to miss a single update? Subscribe to our newsletter via www.nachtvandevrijdenker.be and receive all updates ready-made in your mailbox. ABOUT NIGHT OF THE FREETHINKER For more than a decade, the ideas festival has brought together critical thinkers from home and abroad around questionsSunday · 22 November · 17:45 – 00:59De Vooruit · Ghent

Frequently asked questions

How many festivals are coming up in Belgium?

According to Shou, there are 14 upcoming festivals across Belgium — from music and arts to food and open-air events.

What are the biggest upcoming festivals in Belgium?

Browse the full guide above, filterable by month and updated daily by Shou.

When is festival season in Belgium?

Belgium’s festival calendar peaks in summer but runs year-round. Use the month filter above to see what’s on when.