Brussels’ summer roller parade kicks off on Friday evening, and the fun also rolls into Hasselt, Leuven, Namur, Antwerp, Mons and Virton over the coming months. The free parades, accompanied by music, are destined for rollerblades, bikes, longboards, skateboard and even electric bikes. Beginner and advanced riders welcome from age 10. Don’t forget safety gear and water! Check the website for updates in case of bad weather. 12 June to 4 September, Friday 20.00, Place Poelaert The BXL tour , sees cyclists set off from
Place de Palais and race through city streets and tunnels all the way to the Atomium. The annual tour promotes mobility and inclusivity with various racing categories: Master Cyclo 40km for more experienced cyclists; Cyclo 40km race, Ride 32km race; and Paracycling 40km race for wheelchair racers. The event concludes with concerts, bicycle demonstrations and more at a festive village in Heysel. Warning: major roads will be closed between 7.00 and 13.00. 14 June 9.00-18.00, start: Place des Palais; finish Atomium (Laeken) As a side
event to Autoworld’s current exhibition Aston Martin – Elegance in Motion, this Sunday’s Cars & Coffee event has a British car theme. Admire the sleek motos and enjoy some refreshments on the terrace. 14 June 10.00-14.00, Esplanade Cinquantenaire Park Festival Mosaïques is a multi-generational festival at L’Os à Moelle that showcases multidisciplinary cultural creativity. Fusing music, comedy, kids’ entertainment, guinguette and street theatre, it opens on Thursday evening a free Jam event for singers, musicians, dancers. 11-14 June, Avenue Emile Max 153 (Schaerbeek) This summer’s
enchanting Park Poétik continues its programme of family friendly events, from poetry, spectacles, music and local radio, to guided walks, street theatre and workshops. Staged in parks, streets and gardens all around Saint-Gilles and Forest, the totally free festival kicks off with a colourful parade on Friday between 13.00 and 14.00, starting from Marais Wiels in Forest Park. 12 June to 6 September, various outdoor locations in Saint-Gilles and Forest The Fashion & Lace Museum invites visitors to its new exhibition Simplicities to discover clothing
spanning more than two centuries that leans towards simplicity, functionality and naturalness. It is a theme that is often overlooked in favour of luxurious and glamourous fashion, but everyday apparel is a revealing mirror of cultural and social change. 12 June to 10 January, Rue de la Violette 12 Bach ad Meridiem is a series of four concerts that launches on Saturday lunchtime at the Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula. The Ars in Cathedrali initiative is now in its third year, offering organ
works by the German Baroque organist and composer. The programme for this first performance by organist Ben Van Nespen includes Bach’s Prelude in G major and Fugue in C Minor. Entrance €10; free for under 18s. Reservation: arsincathedrali@gmail.com. 13, 20 & 27 June & 4 July 12.00, Place Sainte-Gudule Step aboard the AperOtram! The Brussels Tram Museum has launched a special summer after-work service on Thursday evenings. The 90-minute journey through the city centre is accompanied by the serving of selected refreshments, including Champagne and
soft drinks. €39.90 for ride, drinks and snacks. Departure from the museum. Thursdays 18.00-20.00, Avenue de Tervuren 364B (Woluwe-Saint-Pierre) Juliette Binoche may be best known as a film actor but she is also a talented artist and dancer. In 2007, she joined forces with British dancer-choreographer Akram Khan to create an experimental performance, which is portrayed in the documentary In-I in Motion. Now the Oscar winner revisits this deeply personal journey, drawing on dozens of hours of previously unseen archival footage. Bozar’s screening on 17
June is followed by a discussion with Binoche (in Fr). 17-23 June, Rue Ravenstein 23 Vaux-Hall Summer kicks off with a free and vibrant cultural programme of dance, music, circus, cabaret, cinema and games in the Royal Park. Located in the renovated historic building behind Théâtre du Parc, it hosts evening events staged by various cultural institutions in the capital that show off the diversity of arts while also promoting rising talents. On the programme: Hopla circus shows, concerts for Fête de la Musique, choral
music and screenings. 17 June to 19 July, Thurs-Sun, Rue de la Loi 3, Brussels Park OUTSIDE BRUSSELS Is it time to clear out your bookshelves or stock up with reading material? Bookworms can do both at Serve the City’s Second Hand English Book Sale at Stonemanor on Saturday. Browse fiction titles, non-fiction and children’s books in the carpark of the British grocery store. 13 June 10.00-15.30 (book donations from 10.00 to 12.00), Steenhofstraat 28, Everberg Meise Botanical Garden stages its very first Rose Festival
this weekend. The queen of flowers is honoured at this event with activities for all ages. Keen gardeners can also visit the Rose & Plant Market and enjoy a guided tour through the Rose Garden, while the site’s Restaurant Pachthof serves up special rose-inspired dishes. The festival is accessible with a day ticket to the gardens. 13 & 14 June 10.00-18.00, Nieuwelaan 38, Meise (Flemish Brabant) A large-scale exhibition of the work of internationally-renowned Belgian artist Luc Peire (1916–1994) goes on show at the Scharpoord
Cultural Centre in Knokke-Heist. Abstraction in Abundance brings together paintings, architecture and design by the master in abstract verticalism in a surprise dialogue with the international avant-garde. It also offers a new perspective on Peire’s special relationship the coastal resort. The show is a collaboration with the local museum dedicated to Belgian art, Mu-ZEE. 13 June to 25 October, Maxim Willemspad 1, Knokke-Heist After a career devoted to the colour translucent blue, Belgian porcelain artist Piet Stockmans turns his palette to black. Stockmanszwart at the
85-year-old’s studio in Genk features his new body of work; a reflection of the artist’s grief since losing his wife to cancer earlier this year. Stockmans’ suffering has sparked a creative urgency in his ceramics. The resulting dark surfaces of his works conceal layers of meaning; from his abstract forms emerge hints of faces, trees and burdens carried throughout a lifetime. Until 29 August, Studio Pieter Stockmans, Genk (Limburg) Charleroi’s BPS22 art museum is always worth a detour. It’s new summer event showcases the richness
and depth of the Hainaut province’s art collection in Chrysalis. The new series enables a selection of works to come out of storage and this first instalment focuses on the fragile, unstable moment of transformation, as evoked by a chrysalis. The group exhibition features artists including Lionel Estève, Marie Zolamian, Brognon Rollin and Banks Violette. Until 30 August, Boulevard Solvay 22, Charleroi Discover more upcoming events at The Bulletin’s events page. Photos: (main image) courtesy Roller Parade; ©Luc Peire, La Porte Ouverte, collectie Mu.ZEE; Stockmans-zwart
©SennePraczyk; Emilio Lopez Menchero Checkpoint Charlie BPS22 ©Leslie Artamonow
Brussels events 12 June 18 June, roller parade, BXL tour cyclists Atomium, Cars & Coffee British theme, Park Poétik, Vaux-Hall Summer, AperOtram, Fashion & Lace Museum Simplicities, 12 Bach ad Meridiem, Meise Rose Festival, Luc Peire Abstraction in Abundance, Piet Stockmanszwart, BPS22 Chrysalis, Serve the City book sale