Brussels’ Art Deco Year 2025 attracted more than 755,000 participants

With over 755,000 participants, 24 exhibitions in 17 institutions and more than 1,050 guided tours across the city, the Art Deco Year 2025 was a resounding success, according to Brussels authorities.

Organised by heritage body urban.brussels, tourism agency visit.brussels and cultural partners, the centenary programme celebrated the influential style that flourished in Europe and the US during the 1920s and 30s.

It aimed to offer a fresh perspective of the iconic interwar movement that was characterised by a golden age of creativity and which served as a precursor to modernism.

The programme centred on exhibitions, festivals, guided tours, conferences, screenings and publications, encompassing iconic Art Deco buildings in the capital. It also spotlighted lesser-known museums, private residences, public spaces and neighbourhoods displaying style features of the period.

Importantly, the centenary year highlighted architectural treasures in all 19 municipalities of Brussels. Guided tours played a key role, inviting the public to visit sites that are not usually open to the public.

Brussels Art Nouveau Art Deco Festival (BANAD) drew nearly 23,000 participants. Heritage Days were another successful event, with over 200 venues and activities showcasing the style movement.

The 24 exhibitions organised in numerous locations attracted 660,000 visitors and resulted in record attendance for some participants, notably the Villa Empain in Ixelles (pictured, main image) and the Van Buuren House & Gardens in Uccle (pictured above).

Photos: (main image) Fondation Boghossian Echoes of Art Deco ©Silvia Cappellari; Taverne Espérance ©visit.brussels/Jean-Paul Remy; Van Buuren Museum ©visit.brussels/Jean-Paul Remy