Iris Festival 2018: celebrating Brussels Capital Region 29th anniversary

The Brussels Capital Region invites you to celebrate its 29th anniversary on 5 & 6 May by joining in on the festivities with the Iris Festival.

This festival is everything from free concerts to street performances. Its eclectic and inclusive variety is what characterises Iris Festival and draws its big crowd, earning its place as one of the most anticipated cultural festival event this year in Brussels.

Start on Saturday the 5th with “The Iris Festival in the communes”. Explore a secret and unexpected side of Brussels as you gain access to touring sites and institutions usually off limits to the public. A huge number of places that are secret or normally closed to the public will be open for discovery, including Uccle, Ixelles, Auderghem and Watermael-Boitsfort. Guided visits or walks are also organised in each of the four communes taking part.

After you have satisfied your inquisitive mind and the day turns to night, the Place des Palais will feature a free event filled with electro music and a series of concerts that will turn the cobbled streets of the royal road into a giant dance floor.

Then, if you manage to wake up from the late night spectacle of the previous night, the Brussels Parc will be transformed by a lot of activities for you to try Sunday daytime. Consisting of cultural, athletic, and traditional associations of Brussels, the park will be filled with a village of tents, with each district having shops, hosting performances and showcasing their activities with fun and inclusive workshops that you can try. There will also be artistic troupes from Belgium and abroad to perform poetic shows.

DriveNow will also be present and will be giving people the chance to register on the spot for free and to win free driving minutes by turning the wheel of fortune. You could win up to 50 bonus minutes!

Should you get a big hunger during the activities of the day, then you’re in luck, as Place Royale and Place des Palais will be teeming with culinary delights. Feasts from the east, flavours from the west and vegan delights will all be present to introduce you to new flavours or familiar dishes.

As the afternoon draws to a close, and the festival’s end is just one sunrise away, the Place des Palais stage will light up the night in a huge hoorah and welcome the project “MIXITY sings BREL”, culminating the festival’s spectacular events with something equally so.

But these events listed are just some of the great activities Iris Festival has to offer, and make up just a few of countless great experiences to be had, so join in this May and see what has everyone waiting for the festival each year.

Good to know:

• Date: morning of 5th – evening of 6th
• Location: The royal district.
• Getting there: accessible via all forms of transportation, the Iris Festival is located in the heart of downtown
• Website