The BOZAR welcomes the second year of the Brussels Electronic Music Festival. Over 30 DJs, musicians and VJs perform throughout the venue over the last weekend in March. Expect famous figures spinning alongside newcomers, performances taking place in various rooms and halls and many surprises in tow including;

Cluster, Chris De Luca, Hexstatic, Johann Johannsson, Border Community showcase: James Holden, Luke Abbott, Avus, VJ Dan – Raster Noton showcase: Aoki Takamasa, Cyclo (Ryoji Ikeda & Carsten Nicolai), Atom TM – Sylvain Chauveau, Machinefabriek, Thomas Brinkmann, D * Fuse, Aufgang, Quenum, Sierra Sam, Dan Curtin, DARKO, Fader, Fady One, Marcus Vector, Rodriguez Jr., Playboy’s Bend, SEI A Monsieur Magnetik, Fonsny Mathieu, Christophe Bailleau, The activists, Odaka, Cedric Stevens, Natalia de Mello….

Check out the video (in French) from the 2009 Brussels Electronic film festival for an idea of what to expect:

BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts 26 – 28 Mar 2010. Fri 8pm-6am; Sat 8pm-7am; Sun 7pm-2am

In Belgium it’s sometimes said that the Bells of Rome bring the Easter Eggs. The story goes that the bells of every church leave for Rome on “Silent Saturday” or “Stille Zaterdag” in Dutch, before returning on Sunday with eggs… chocolate eggs hopefully. And what better place to find delicious chocolate eggs than the home to so many chocolate shops, Brussels?

Easter Sunday in Brussels sees egg hunts in Bruparck next to the Atomium and, just outside the city, in Les Pays des Castors, an animal park dedicated to beavers. Although remember to bring your boots if you want to hunt for eggs among these dentally endowed dam builders.

While in Brussels you’ll find the fifth largest church in the world in the city’s Basilique National du Sacre-Coeur where you can attend Easter Church services.

Why not make the most of the bank holiday weekend and explore a different city this Easter.

Photo 1 Wild daffodils up close by Amanda bh Slater

Photo 2 Basilique de Koekelberg by TP Holland

While it may seem like we plug many events at the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts on this site, this is mainly because of the sheer frequency of innovative events which are on offer there. Truc Troc is just the latest in a long line and no doubt more will come up in the future.

The first pioneering thing about Truc Troc is that the whole purpose of the event – taking place on the 16^th and 17^th of January in Brussels – is to bring lesser-known Belgian artists to public attention: with 100 works of art by 100 different contemporary artists, it gives young artists floor-space and the public a way of discovering them. Undoubtedly, amongst the work on show at Truc Troc will be some absolute gems.

But in reality, any art exhibition is likely to have some good work. The reason Truc Troc comes so highly recommended is because it combines top art with new media.

This is because it allows any member of the public interested in a piece of art to leave their contact details on a post-it note next to the art on show. In turn, the artist can contact the person involved, and then negotiate with them – be it a price or objects to exchange.

Together with the live music and DJs, this event is sure to have a real upbeat feel to it. Truc Troc might sound like a silly name; but it promises to be a momentous event, which you’d have to be made to miss out on.

Photo Biennale Art 53rd International by Meneghetti

I am reminded of the time my friend, meaning to order the cocktail Frilly Tutu – instead asked for a Tutti Frutti and got a very odd look. This was because he couldn’t quite get the name right.

Much the same is probably of the Jazz Festival Marni Flagey. So-called because it takes place at the Flagey cultural centre and the Marni theatre, it is a difficult name to remember. Because of this, there is an enormous contrast between the name and the quality of the music.

What I mean by this, is the music is truly memorable because it is world-class. Obviously, there is top-quality jazz – Alexandre Cavaliere on his violin together with his band is just one example – but, particularly for a jazz festival what is notable is the other genres of music on offer. With bepop, flamenco, fusion as well as other genres, there truly is something to satisfy anyone regardless of their personal musical tastes

Taking place from the 19^th until the 30^th of January, in Brussels – a city famed for its jazz music – the Jazz Festival Marni Flagey promises to be an eleven day extravaganza. With a trip to Brussels, you can be part of it.

Photo My Violin made in 1770 by Wolfy1280

Brussels this December really is the place for the whole family to be.  While there is no doubting that the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park is great family fun, it pales in comparison with Winter Wonders in Brussels.

Taking place right in the heart of Brussels – the Place Sainte Catherine is almost an equivalent of Leicester Square in London – and lasting until the 3^rd of January 2010, it is not exaggeration to say that Winter Wonders alone merits a trip to Brussels.

This is because there is both fun for the children and fun for the adults.

Undoubtedly, children tend to enjoy ice skating more than adults: with the onset of middle age and the associated weight gain, many adults seem to take the pain of falling over a lot worse than their offspring do. But there is no doubt that children will enjoy skating on the ice-rink temporarily erected under the large ferris wheel at the end of the market.

Meanwhile, adults can enjoy the Christmas market: part of the mammoth Winter Wonders is that there are 240 wooden chalets placed all around this event where Christmas presents can be bought and mulled wine can be sipped.

With the event also including street entertainment, fun rides and live music, it really is worth a visit to Brussels just for Winter Wonders. Make sure you do.

Photo Little Break

On the last weekend in November a group of sleepy bloggers meet at our usual meeting place under the clock at St Pancras for our final Little Break of the year to the Christmas market in Brussels.

After a leisurely breakfast on the Eurostar we arrived in St Pancras and headed to Planet Chocolate for a morning of learning about the history and process of making chocolate (surprisingly simple it seems) as well as tasting plenty of chocolate and drinking some yummy hot chocolate to warm us up from the terrible weather outside.

Leaving with arms full of chocolate and our lovely goody bags we ventured outside again where we found the weather had brightened up – much to every ones relief!

A quick stroll later and we arrived at the Belga Queen for lunch. Its reputation as one of the best restaurants did not disappoint as we entered the beautiful building which used to be an old bank.

The food was lovely – especially the dessert, but due to our set meal choice it was probably not the best that the Belga Queen produces. We did see some impressive sea food platters though on mountains of ice topped with various shellfish that looked amazing.

The afternoon was then spent wandering round the Christmas market. Brussels Christmas market consists of hundred of little wooden sheds selling mostly food and drink as well as a variety of gifts where you can find something a bit different for your Christmas gifts.

Heading back to the Eurostar was a bit of an energetic experience as the Metro broken down for a while which meant a bit of a, lets describe it as a ‘jog’ to the check-in desks!

All was well and everyone quickly settled into their seats to enjoy a glass of champagne before dinner as we sped back towards London.

A big thank you to everyone who joined us on our last little break of the year! Dominic and Shimrit from Chocablog, Sian and Christina from Domestic Sluttery, Camilla from Hygge Nook, Caroline and Simon from Patchwork Harmony, Katie from What Katie Does, Lynne from Tea For Joy, Amanda from The Womens Room, Pippa from Pippa Jameson Interiors, Margarita from Chocolate Creative, Nicki from The Cherry Closet, and Alice from Raspberry.

Belgian cinema is often derided. This is clearly unfair. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne have won the Palme D’or at the Cannes film festival twice and In Bruges was a terrific film. Perhaps because of this general derision towards Belgian cinema, the Belgians themselves tend to have quite a negative view of their cinema.

Yet, this makes no sense. And attending the Belgian Cinema Fete from the 17^th to the 20^th of December will show you just show. For me, this Fete has one big thing over the Oscars: it makes far more sense to hold a ceremony celebrating the previous year’s films in December than it does in February – Slumdog Millionaire wasn’t released until January of 2009.

Nevertheless, this is getting away from the real reason to go the Belgian Cinema Fete: with the Dardenne brothers just two of those show-casing their work and with talks, readings and concerts, as well as screenings, this truly is a well-rounded festival.

What’s more, with a rule that all films must have been produced in the last year and the long time most films take to produce, the Belgian Cinema Fete includes a huge number of premieres. This alone, means the €16 entry price is an absolute pittance and a trip to Brussels – the Fete is hosted at Le Palace (ex-Kladaradatsch) – is well worthwhile.

Photo Another Roll by Willsfca

Autumn brings with it moody dark evenings, quieter streets, and woolly hats. But in Brussels it also brings with it a cultural extravaganza.

This is because, every Thursday night up to and including the 17^th of December, one can enjoy An Evening at a Brussels Museum. Make no mistake: this is not the title to an Agatha Christie novel; rather, it allows people to enjoy a night out in Brussels who otherwise couldn’t have one.

Anybody who works struggles to enjoy the vast cornucopia of museums on offer in Brussels – they all close early so it’s impossible to visit apart from at weekends. However, until the 17^th of December, every Thursday evening these museums will be staying open until 10pm.

What’s more, there is truly something for everyone: the Council for Brussels Museums has insisted that almost every museum stays open. The result, is pop-up cocktail bars and special events in the museums.

With prices cut to a mere €2.50 entry fee, a Thursday night out in Brussels can be the perfect start to a long weekend. Don’t let us stop you…

Photo Monts des Arts and City Hall by Suvodeb

Sexties really is a criminal name for an exhibition. Not only is it an awful pun, it’s just not punny (I’ll get my coat…)

Nonetheless, it probably is quite a good name: for the exhibition currently on at the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts (continuing until the 3^rd of January 2010) combines artists hottest works from the Sixties.  But this isn’t an exhibition of erotica: rather it is an exhibition showing how four prominent artists managed to change the art of comic strips from being just for children, to something everybody can enjoy.

The artists on show truly are exceptional and it is sensible Sexties is in Brussels as it features three Belgians – Eric Losfeld, Paul Cuvelier, and Guy Peellaert. Nevertheless, arguably the centrepiece of the exhibition is the work of the Frenchman Jean-Claude Forest. He will be remembered by history for turning Barbarella into the first adult comic and this work will be on show at the exhibition.

Adult comics were incredibly important in inspiring sexual liberation. But they are also an art-form in of themselves, with the drawings (in particular those of Cuvelier) incredibly intricate and a hugely interesting study of the human form.

It is easy to perceive this as an exhibition merely for those who are interested in erotica. But this would be a huge mis-appraisal of the exhibition.

Sexties is interesting as in insight into life in the Sixties. but perhaps most importantly, any art lover must appreciate comic strips: they combine humour and art, two terrific barometer of cultural development, and it is for this reason, that Sexties is worth a visit for people other than giggling teenagers.

Photos Bozar Entrance by Je Poirrier

Brussels Expo, as the equivalent of Excel or Earls Court in London, hosts many quirky events throughout the year.  But none of them can be quite like the Brussels Innova Fair.

To summarise it, is unfair to the enormous variety of inventors who showcase their work. But the purpose of the fair is to look for innovators and thus, visitors to the fair can act like the Dragons off Dragons Den, albeit without the money.

But the Innova Fair must appeal to all of us, simply because there is a mad professor within us all who loves to see somebody build a clock out of broken table-tennis balls.

Yet, the beauty of the Innova Fair is that it isn’t just a load of geeks trying to convince each other that their new use for rubber bands is the best. Rather, it brings together participants from all over the world including some of the world’s best inventors.

What’s more, with experts judging the inventions and handing out prizes to the most skilled innovators,  there is a degree of drama to the proceedings and some people have been known to get especially competitive.

Lasting from the 19^th until the 21^st of November, the Innova Fair is surely worth a trip to Brussels for – you never know, maybe you could bring someone’s idea back across the channel and use it on Dragon’s Den.

Photo Invention Saturday by Westerndave