Foire du Midi draws noise complaints from residents

Residents living near the Brussels Foire du Midi are demanding the capital’s annual funfair comply with noise standards, saying current measures are not sufficient.

“For us, it’s as if our neighbours are organising a huge party for five weeks every year,” one resident told Bruzz.

The City of Brussels introduced new measures to limit noise pollution from the festival in recent years, including a maximum noise level of 90 decibels during the day and 75 decibels from 22.00.

The fair’s closing time was also moved to midnight on weekdays and 1.00 on Fridays and Saturdays, and 31 major attractions were equipped with a decibel meter that monitors the loudness of music.

But noise measurements carried out last year by Brussels Environment at various homes in the neighbourhood showed that regional noise standards were regularly exceeded.

Silvia Groaz, who lives on Boulevard Poincaré, said the disruption lasts longer than the official five-weeks duration of the fair.

“In fact, we’re talking about almost seven weeks: there’s a week of set-up, five weeks of the fair, and then the dismantling,” Groaz told Bruzz.

“We understand the tradition, but why can’t the noisiest rides close at 22.00? Not every ride causes the same amount of disturbance.”

For Jitse Van den Berg, who has lived in the neighbourhood for 20 years, the two largest rides in particular can be heard in the bedrooms of his home, even through closed windows.

“We’re not asking for any new standards that don’t already exist, we’re asking that they be enforced at night as well,” Van den Berg said.

“The city allocates the pitches and sets the opening hours, and is at the same time the authority responsible for ensuring compliance.”

Mayor Philippe Close (PS) granted an exemption from the regional noise regulations in 2024, allowing the Foire du Midi to run for longer and enabling certain restrictions to be applied less strictly. Local residents quickly appealed against this to the Council of State.

It ruled that the mayor did not have the authority to grant such an exemption on his own. According to the local residents, this means there is currently no specific legal basis for an exemption scheme.

The City of Brussels said it was continuing to seek solutions to limit the nuisance.

“The fairground operators feel they’re already making a great deal of effort, while the neighbourhood feels this isn’t enough,” said Didier Wauters (Les Engagés), Brussels alderman for the economy.

“It’s our job to strike a balance between the two. As soon as the legal proceedings are concluded, we want to resume consultations with the neighbourhood immediately.”

Wauters said the city had already contacted Brussels public transport operator Stib in order to see whether more space will become available from 2027 onwards as work on metro line 3 progresses.

“This would allow some attractions to be situated further away from residential properties,” Wauters said.

Many of the fairground operators feel the festival has already adapted enough in recent years.

“We’re making a lot of effort,” said Patrick De Corte, chair of the fair committee.

“In the past, there were no closing times and no noise restrictions. The Foire du Midi has been here for 146 years.”

Local resident Giel Vanhoutte noted that while the music has become less loud in recent years, other forms of noise pollution remain.

“It’s mainly the shouting of visitors on the rides that continues to be a nuisance,” Vanhoutte said.

Last weekend, a poster was displayed on the Hurricane ride asking visitors not to shout too loudly during the ride in order to minimise disturbance to the neighbourhood.

De Corte noted that the biggest influx of festival-goers does not occur until after 20.30, making an earlier closing time unrealistic for operators.

A final complaint from residents is that outside the fair season, Boulevard Poincaré remains largely unused and ends up serving partly as a car park.

They say plans to redevelop the public space have been postponed in recent years because the Foire du Midi would have to temporarily relocate or scale down its operations.

Vanhoutte said the condition of this space is symptomatic of the way the neighbourhood is treated primarily as a placeholder for the annual festiva.

“A redevelopment would improve the quality of life in the neighbourhood,” Vanhoutte said.

The mobility campaign group Critical Mass Brussels has also criticised the impact of the Foire du Midi on the neighbourhood, noting that part of the cycling infrastructure disappears during the fair.

It is calling for a safer and better-planned layout of the Midi neighbourhood, “without calling into question the Foire du Midi or its location”.