What’s on this week: 4 to 10 October

The Marolles has gotten a bad rap lately with drug problems and nighttime nuisance. The Art + People festival introduces us to the neighbourhood’s friendly residents and shopkeepers via art, culture and rather quirky activities. Check out a choreographed football fashion show, a marching band of Moroccan culture, a giant rope on Place du Jeu de Balle and a hairdressing salon run by a group of senior citizens. It’s all free – even the haircuts. 3-5 October

The In.out.sider Festival’s free programme of experimental music, film, visual arts and workshops has inclusivity at its core. It reaches out to artists and musicians on the fringe, either because of the unconventional nature of their work or a marginalised social status, such as people with a disability or with a minority background. It’s a great melting pot of interesting work and discussions that introduce audiences to new artistic practices. 4-6 October, LaVallée, Rue Adolphe Lavallée 39 (Molenbeek)

The autumn Brussels Environment celebration Renature Time! transforms Brussels into Nature City over the coming month. Promoting the capital’s Regional Nature Plan to preserve Brussels' biodiversity by 2050, once again the third edition offers 100 free activities for participants to explore nature in the city. The programme launches this Sunday with a Garden and Nature Fair, organised by the Brussels agency in collaboration with Natagora at Place de la Musique at Tour & Taxis, 9.00-17.00. 6 October to 3 November, multiple locations

Milwaukee-born modern master of monochrome photography, Ray K. Metzker (1931-2014), loved light and the city. Both shine out in this second major Metzker show to be held in Europe. Ray K Metzger/City Lux features emblematic series from ‘The Loop’ (Chicago’s metro line) to ‘Composites’ - contact prints playfully renamed ‘Striptease’. The 114-photograph selection ranges from the uniquely abstract – a black-and-white paper collage – to evocative images of mid-20th century Chicago and Philadelphia. In April 1960, Metzker left for Europe “to come back stronger”, producing fascinating work including a dynamic shot of a canoe that screams Oxford-Cambridge boat race. Until 22 December, Fondation A, Avenue Van Volxem 314 (Forest)

Promoting every year emerging francophone artists, the festival Francofaune fills stages across the capital for a variety of musical activities. Belgian, French, Canadian and Swiss artists will be performing in both established and offbeat venues for the Wallonia-Brussels Federation event. They include Le 140, Botanique, VK,  Brass, cultural centres MC NOH and Pianofabriek, as well as smaller venues such as Jardin de ma Sœur, Maison poème and the MIMA museum. In Liège, performances are staged at Hangar. Until 12 October, multiple venues

We are enamoured by Brussels’ historical buildings – for good reason – but the region is also home to some inventive contemporary architecture. Join Architectural Days for talks, workshops and exhibitions but especially for the guided tours of some 20 buildings and other urban projects. You can hear all about the craftsmanship behind, for example, Théâtre Les Tanneurs, the JGE community spaces in Etterbeek and the Masui work training centre in Schaerbeek. All activities are free and in multiple languages, but some – including the tours – require booking ahead. 5-13 October, across Brussels

Festival des Libertés is now in its 23rd year and there’s no abating its mission to provide a platform for festive and subversive political and artistic expression. This edition adopts the theme of Humanism in an interrogation of the human condition. With a focus on justice, man’s relationship with nature, gender assignment and vulnerability, the programme encompasses theatre, concerts, documentary screenings (including international competitions and documentaries), exhibitions, talks and DJ sets. Pictured: Hewa-Rwanda Lettre aux absents, a musical reading by Dorcy Rugamba with music by Majnun (17 & 18 October). 10-19 October, Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles, Boulevard Émile Jacqmain 111-115

Book now  Museum Night Fever is an autumn highlight in the capital. With one ticket, you can access 28 museums with endless fun entertainment cooked up by each one for the evening. More than 100 artists are preparing a unique programme to showcase city culture. Music, food and performance are all on the programme, described ‘the coolest cultural event of the year’ by organisers. A shuttle bus is conveniently on hand to get you from one venue to the other. Pre-sale standard tickets (until 20 October) are priced at €16 or €26 for standard ticket + after party. 19 October, across Brussels

OUTSIDE BRUSSELS

Belgium’s biggest film festival features some 100 international films, talks in the festival café (some in English), the World Soundtrack Awards and a series of cult classic movies – like Donnie Darko and The Holy Mountain – with newly composed soundtracks played live. Many films by local directors will make their Belgian debut at Film Fest Gent, including Julie Keeps Quiet – which brought home two prizes from Cannes – and BXL, the story of two brothers whose dreams are bigger than others’ expectations, directed by real-life brothers Monir and Ish Ait Hamou. 9-20 October, across Ghent

Antwerp’s Fine Arts Museum holds the largest collection of words by James Ensor in the world, so it certainly did not plan to be left out of Ensor 2024, a year of special activities marking the 75th anniversary of the death of the famous surrealist Belgian artist. In Your Wildest Dreams: Ensor Beyond Impressionism is a retrospective and so also includes works borrowed from other museums, which come together to showcase the artist’s colourful universe of visions, masquerades and satire. Until 19 January, KMSKA, Leopold de Waelplaats 1, Antwerp

Belgian artist Joris Van de Moortel defies categorisation, mixing all his artistic practices like a cultural alchemist. The exhibition Hell on Earth: In Search of Pur, Nur and Fur features his sculptures, paintings and films, but he will also bring it all to life with live music and performance. Also for the occasion he will release a second version of his tarot cards, a second volume in his comic series Mat & Babelarrio and a double album on vinyl. 5 October to 2 March, Smak, Jan Hoetplein 1, Ghent

For Belgian Space Week, Namur digital arts space Le Pavillon is running events with the University of Namur connected to its current exhibition Stellar Scape. A conference Chill & Science on 9 October is followed by the film Arrival – Premier Contact by Denis Villeneuve at Caméo cinema on 10 October. The exhibition itself is a fascinating and interrogatory exploration of outer space with interactive and immersive projects presented by 20 international artists and scientific researchers. 9-13 October, Le Pavillon Route Merveilleuse 65; Caméo cinema Rue des Carmes, Namur

It’s harvest time! The autumn edition of the Fête des Plantes at Jardins d’Aywiers gathers some 200 horticultural experts to advise and guide visitors amid the enchanting setting of the Cistercian abbey. The seven-hectare enclosed gardens are full of ancient trees, rare shrubs and plants, aromatic and medicinal herbs and a pond. Extras: Workshops and demonstrations, wheelbarrow delivery service, food and drink and free parking.  4-6 October, Rue de l’Abbaye 14, Lasne (Brabant Walloon)

The third edition of the Writers Festival of Belgium moves to Leuven for a festive series of talks and workshops on the theme of Translating lives. Invited authors hail from Ireland, Switzerland, Australia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines as well as Belgium. They include Tony Connelly’s new title on Brexit and Shirin Wheeler’s book on her father’s career as a foreign correspondent. The festival will be announcing the winner of its short story competition over the weekend. All profits from the literary gathering will help publish a memoir by Lailuma Saudis, an Afghan journalist who helps girls via distance learning. 5-6 October, Irish College of Leuven, Janseniusstraat 1, Leuven

Discover more upcoming events at The Bulletin's events page.

Photos: (main image) Art + People ©Filip Erkens; City Lux - Fondation A ©Mireille Roobaert; Architectural Days ©Filip Dujardin; MAIN Je vis dans une maison qui n'existe pas @Blithe William; MNF23 Bozar ©Adeola Naomi Aderemi; Film Fest Gent ©Jo Voets; James Ensor, The Intrigue, photo by Rik Klein Gotink, Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp; SMAK Joris Van de Moortel; Stellar Scape ©Alessia Sanna