Uccle cancels all Wolvendael park summer events

If it now seems that summer in Belgium is back with a bang, the dramatic storm that hit the country on 9 July caused so much damage to Wolvendael park in Uccle, not to mention the tragic death of a baby, that the commune has been forced to cancel all events planned for the rest of the summer holidays.

The beautiful green oasis with wooded areas, paths and hills, stretching from Uccle centre to Dieweg, was to have been the setting for many spectacles, concerts and festivals – all of them free.

But the municipality needs to carry out more work to ensure the safety of visitors and has decided that until September, no show can be held in the park.

But while Uccle’s film in the ‘Bruxelles Fait Son Cinéma’ festival ended up being cancelled twice, on 30 June due to rain and on 17 July following the storm, other events will simply move to a different venue.

This weekend, on 18 August, the "music in the park" concerts will instead grace Uccle cultural centre while the art exhibition will be moved to Parvis Saint-Pierre by the neoclassical Saint-Pierre church in the commune’s centre.

Finally ‘La Nuit du Wolvendael’ on Saturday 24 August is moving to Place Gazelle near le Parc de la Sauvagère in Uccle’s Saint-Job district.

This festival features music, creative workshops, theatre and other fire eating entertainment. The main programme is from 17.00 to 23.00, followed by a night under the stars and breakfast until 10.00 on Sunday.

Only the Uckel’Air music festival, on 7 September, should still take place, as last year, at the top of Wolvendael park. The area is predicted to be safe at this stage.