Bright Brussels, the festival of lights retreats to brighten up the capital this winter!”
Bright Brussels, the festival of lights in the capital is back. Four twilights and three trails will take you on a voyage to uncover some twenty immersive and poetic artistic endeavours. A comprehensive program to brighten up the long winter evenings. For a sixth edition from 10 to 13 February, the Royal Quarter, the European Quarter and the Flagey district are joining in the fun and the neighbourhood will be filled with light by captivating light installations by national and international artists. The festival will also accentuate a fringe programme, affecting evening events in the museums.
Since its remarkably first edition, Bright Brussels has offered travellers and dwellers an outstanding opportunity to discover, or rediscover, the capital’s districts in another light. This year, no lesser than 20 monumental installations will take over the soul of the capital from 10 February. From projections to a light show, along with interactive installations, artists will compete in a tryout of creativeness to transform the capital and wow tourists of all ages.
On top of this sensational program, Bright Brussels will also be offering tourists the opportunity to proceed with their nighttime adventure by touring some of the capital’s cultural institutions. Various museums will be open to visitors in the evening during the celebration. An enormous opportunity to (re)discover the city’s prosperous heritage.
How did it all begin?
Bright’s extraordinary avenues take their cue from the festival’s origins, envisioned as a way to build interest in the Port of Brussels’ 20th anniversary in 2013. To draw in more families, the authorities rose with the Brussels Light Festival. The canal region was never the city’s most appealing enclave, but when the inaugural 2015 celebration amputate its way along the waterside of the Northern Quarter between Sainctelette and Place des Armes, its projections of dancing elephants and boat-sized sparklers tempted visitors to glimpse it with a new, whimsical gaze. It even showed something of a presentiment of what was to come.
Since then, this part of the city has transformed beyond recognition – even as it anticipates the appearance of the Kanal-Centre Pompidou gallery that, when finished in 2023, will be the largest cultural centre in Brussels. This is what makes Bright so fascinating: it’s a proposal to explore another side of Brussels as well as see some of its artists at play. In the years that followed, Bright became an annual event, morphing into a means of nighttime scavenger hunt of flickering in and out of churches, art galleries, and medieval squares for a glimpse of the fantastical.
In 2018, the festival wove a track through the city’s old Beguinage quarter, linking the green streets around Quartier des Qais and Place Sainte-Catherine. Along the way, projections were heaved across its landmarks, drenching every Gothic crevice – even the imposing Church of St John the Baptist – in an invitation to look again at history and architecture all too handily taken for granted.
What to see?
° The Installations
Around 16 fun and immersive light displays along two routes through the Royal and European districts are on scene. Let yourself be steered by the lights and discover Brussels in another way. DJs will be on hand to enhance the atmosphere. An outstanding light installation has been schemed for the pedestrianised area in front of the European Parliament area. Belgium’s Royal Palace is set to become the stage for a large-scale mapping undertaking by Belgian artists.
° The Fringe Programme
Bright Brussels also has a fringe programme. Brussels’ Festival of Lights will be punctuated by several events open to all. Visitors who are keen on culture will be able to select from numerous museums joining in in the event. Food lovers will be able to stop at various great spots along the way to pick up a bite to eat. Shopping fanatics can take advantage of late evening openings in several stores.
°Gay Brussels
Most of Brussels’ gay bars, clubs, saunas and shops are tracked down in the city centre, precisely around the Saint Jacques district. Its spectacle is credible to the city’s image: discreet, diversified, cheerful and generous.
Glimpse of 3 quarters in 2022
1.Flagey District
Flagey district is going to show immensely different colours this festive season. By day, the red flowers radially deviate the perception of the space, but it is after dark that they reveal themselves to the public, rendering the space gleam a warm red. At night black light projectors demonstrate the green stems of each flower to put into the sentiment of suspended flowers, thereby enhancing the installation’s magical appearance. You can view flagey district’s fascination from different locations such as:
- Floraison – PITAYA (FR) – Rue du Levant
- Aftereal – Yasuhiro Chida (JP) – La Cambre Abbey
- View From The Moon – Joanie Lemercier (FR) – La Cambre Abbey
- Church of Our Lady of the Cambre at La Cambre Abbey
- Avenue Général de Gaulle
- Place Sainte-Croix
2. European Quarter
Now coming up to the 2nd Quarter of the Bright Brussel which will immerse you with its enchanting, warm and captivating lighting. In the interactive choir, the installation offers visitors the chance to be both a conductor and an entire choir simultaneously. First, the tourist’s voice (audio and video) is recorded. It is then analysed and altered using software to compose a full choir, from baritones to sopranos. You can view the endeavors of European Quarter from
- Art & History Museum
- Drawn in Light – Cinquantenaire Park
- Léopold Park
- Les Pikock – Porté Par le Vent
- Sunflowers for Vincent van Gogh
3. Royal Quarter
Hereby, Bright Brussel welcomes you in its 3rd Quarter with its fascinating and gorgeous piece of art. For over 10 years, the Magritte Awards have been proclaiming the best of Belgian cinema. This year, the 11th award ceremony takes place on 12 February, at the same time as the Bright Brussels festival. The Magritte Awards take place every year in Square, an events venue tracked down on the Mont des Arts.
To imprint the occasion and in convergence with Bright Brussels, the Mont des Arts garden will come alive as a tribute to the Belgian movie industry and its directors and actors. The playacting of the Albertine will be decked out in a magnificent exhibition of lights and the tree-lined walkways will reverberate the corridors of a cinema. This will all be accompanied by a soundtrack, for an immersive experience. You can relish the Royal Quarter from the following locations:
- FloWeЯ PoWeЯ – Aero Sculpture
- Margraf (DE) – Place des Musées
- ENSAV La Cambre x Bright Brussels – Écuries du Palais des Académies
- Sibelga Light Market – Brussels Park
It’s become a tradition for the lights of Bright Brussels to simmer us up in the dead of winter and, best of all, it’s totally free!
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