Late-night metros and trams for Belgian national day

Brussels' four metro lines will run until 1.00 on the night of Friday 21 July to make it easier for partygoers to get home from the Belgian national day festivities.

Public transport operator Stib says six tram lines - 3, 4, 19, 32, 92 and 93 - will also run late until 1.00 and the Noctis nightbus service will be reinforced on Friday night, with a bus every 20-30 minutes on all lines until 3.00 in the morning.

Parc metro station will be closed all Friday afternoon. Some exits will be closed at Gare Centrale, Arts-Loi, Trône and Schuman. Several bus routes will be diverted or curtailed to avoid the Te Deum ceremony at Brussels cathedral in the morning, the military parade and Resto National in the afternoon and the fireworks in the evening.

The fireworks display is at 23.00. If the Place des Palais is overfilled with spectators, an alternative view is possible from the Place du Trône, near the statue of Leopold II. More details of the day's events can be found at www.2107.be

The 132 police officers taking part in the military parade at 16.00 have exceptionally been allowed to carry loaded guns, a spokesperson for the federal police force confirmed.

The terror threat level in Belgium remains at three out of a possible four. The parade's protocol normally dictates that the police carry arms but no ammunition. The 1,660 military personnel taking part in the parade will not have ammunition.