Two festivals cancelled due to Visit.brussels cuts

Two popular Brussels events, the BD Comic Strip Festival and the I Love Science Festival, have been cancelled this year following significant budget cuts to Visit.brussels.

The regional agency is facing a reduction of €5.7 million in 2026 from a total subsidy budget of €22 million.

According to chief executive Patrick Bontinck, the consequences are immediate and far-reaching.

“The region is taking €5.7 million from us in 2026, out of a total subsidy budget of €22 million. As a result, we are forced to cancel the BD Comic Strip Festival, scale down the Iris Festival, and halt the promotion of all other events, with the exception of Pride,” he told Le Soir.

The cancellations mark a major blow to Brussels’ cultural and scientific outreach. The I Love Science Festival, held annually at Tour & Taxis, had been growing steadily in popularity.

Last year, more than 18,000 people attended its seventh edition, according to Visit.Brussels and Innoviris.

Attendance had increased by 15% year on year, while registration for the school-focused day was already fully booked.

Staff representatives warn that the cuts risk undoing years of work. “Trusting relationships with numerous partners are going up in smoke in just a few days,” said Vincent Tutino, general coordinator and staff representative at Visit.brussels.

Other events will also be affected. The Iris Festival, which celebrates the Brussels region, will be reduced to a single concert on the evening of 9 May.