Second edition of Summer Wonders hailed a success

Brussels city council has said it is satisfied with the second edition of Summer Wonders, which was created as a sibling event to the popular Winter Wonders.

“Giving figures on the number of visitors is difficult because we have yet to make an overall evaluation, but the various initiatives, shows and other events attracted a lot of audience and participants,” said Brussels alderwoman for culture, tourism, and major events, Delphine Houba.

“The ambition was to get some more culture in our summer event offer and I think we succeeded. We had chosen dance as the theme because Brussels is the world capital of contemporary dance, and because dance transcends language barriers. At the same time, it was an ode to Brussels’ dynamic image as a cultural crossroads.”

The Bourse building in the heart of Brussels was the central base for the event, where dance performances and beginner lessons took place daily.

“There was always a lot of people and atmospehre there,” Houba said.

“We had a lot of people who had come down to Brussels especially for the dance programme, a lot of people too who came back regularly because they wanted to take part in as many events as possible, but also, in addition, a lot of curious tourists or passers-by who stayed to watch or take part.”

Each week a different Brussels neighbourhood also featured a more varied programme.

“That attracted less of an audience, but it was also precisely the intention to keep that a bit smaller, and to open it up more to people from the neighbourhood itself,” said Houba.

“Summer Wonders does not yet have the same resonance or appeal as Winter Wonders, but we can be very satisfied with this edition, which managed to attract a very mixed audience.”