What’s on this week: 18 to 24 September

Car-Free Sunday is Brussels-Capital Region’s traditional day for two-wheelers and pedestrians to take over city streets: an opportunity to walk, ride or scoot around normally busy thoroughfares. Public transport is free and beefed up, so there is no excuse not to enjoy activities for all ages around the capital such as the AB Sounds of Brussels Orchestra performing in Boulevard Anspach and a host of sporting events: the fifth Women’s Bike Ride Brussels; Brussels Unchained’s 60km community bike ride and an outdoor yoga event in Rue de la Loi. Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Stib hosts an open-door event at the Jacques Brel metro and bus station. The event is the highlight of a whole Mobility Week that oozes endless events. Flanders and Wallonia celebrate too, with some cities also hosting a Car-Free Sunday. Mobility Week 16-22 September, Car-Free Sunday 20 September, 9.30-19.00, city-centre

Brussels' BD Comic Strip Festival moves this year to the Bourse and the city centre from its usual Tour & Taxis home due to budgetary restraints. This more compact version nevertheless promises fans of the ninth art plenty of comic strip activities for its 15th edition. The stock exchange welcomes Belgian and European publishing houses, specialist bookshops and authors, plus independent and alternative comics. Discover latest releases, take part in signing sessions, attend talks and explore the full diversity of contemporary graphic storytelling. Children and families can participate in workshops, readings, activities and meet-and-greet sessions with  authors. On Sunday, which is the capital’s car-free day, enjoy a street-art trail of comic strip murals starting at the Bourse. 19-20 September, Rue Picard 7

Brussels’ Heritage Days focuses this year on “our landscape, our legacy” – part of co-ordinator Urban’s theme for the year: ‘urban landscapes’. The annual free event invites participants to join guided walks and cycle rides to discover architecture, public spaces and infrastructure shape our perception of the city. It’s an opportunity to visit buildings or institutions whose doors are normally shut such as Schaerbeek’s Art Nouveau Maison Devalck and soap factories, Molenbeek’s Brasseries Atlas, or a ‘vinaigrerie’ in Anderlecht. Other highlights include visiting a falcon museum, enjoying Terdelt cité-jardin’s centenary festivities or enjoying the view atop Brussels’ Brutalist 35-storey masterpiece - Jacques Cuisinier’s 1970s-built Brusilia. 19-20 September, multiple locations

The Grand Place is transformed into a whirligig of colour and costume during Folklorissimo this weekend with a parade of giants, traditional fanfares, music, dance and games that celebrate not only city folklore but traditions from around the world. Guests include Latin American communities in the capital: Mexican, Colombian, Bolivian, Brazilian, Peruvian and Argentinian. Video installation Baile at the City Hall explores the dances of the Latin American diaspora, and a collaboration with Zinneke results in Utopiebeek, a collective performance populated by imaginary creatures. The Fashion & Lace Museum offers guided tours in traditional costume and introductory sessions on bobbin lace-making. 19-20 September from 12.00, in and around the Grand Place

Multilingual poetry market and festival Poetik Bazar returns to Les Halles for its sixth edition. The event’s cool, international programme encompasses poetry readings, performances and concerts, workshops and outdoor activities. Aside from picking up collections and illustrations from publishers from Belgium (French- and Dutch-speaking), France, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Quebec, you’ll find poetry texts in numerous forms, from illustrated to self published and magazines. Entrance is free during the day upon registration; tickets required for evening activities. 18-20 September, Les Halles de Schaerbeek, Rue Royale Sainte-Marie 22

Puppet in the City transforms the centre of Uccle into a playground in which marionettes in various guises pop up in shop windows, urban squares, gardens and street corners. Public spaces become open-air stages where the puppets entertain and tell stories. Organised by La Roseraie cultural centre in collaboration with local partners, the festival is designed for all ages and showcases contemporary creations, object theatre, performances, indoor shows, public space interventions, stop-motion films and roving acts. 18-20 September, multiple locations, Uccle

Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) needs no introduction. The Dutch artist’s impossible worlds are immortalised in popular culture from American sitcom The Simpsons to Netflix series Squid Game. M.C. Escher – Beyond Infinity displays more than 150 original works of this genius who once lived in Uccle. The show’s amazing visual experiences including a mirror room and virtual reality trip into Escher’s world (€8 supplement) are interspersed with charming photos of family life and travels, highlighting how Italy’s Amalfi Coast and Spain’s Alhambra influenced his work. The exhibition also includes some of Escher’s favourite music – notably his beloved JS Bach’s Crab Canon. Until 7 March, Shed 4b, Tour & Taxis, Rue Picard

Feral is a festival reinventing our relationship with the city and in adopting the theme Pirate for its 2026 edition, explores the pirate-like methods artists employ to protect freedom of expression. Feral can take place on a boat, on a farm, in a swimming pool or an old monastery with talks, workshops, a walk to the industrial zone of Zaventem and a concluding concert by She Shanties aboard their boat, the Rubens. 24-26 September, multiple locations

Bozar’s flagship exhibition of the season, William Kentridge: I am not me, the horse is not mine, offers an extraordinary immersion into the work of the towering South African artist. Spanning more than four decades of his work, this invitation into his studio and theatrical practice includes site-specific works alongside drawings, animation films, video and installations that become a moving and emotional place for political and societal reflection. The opening weekend features a ‘Meet the artist’ talk with Kentridge and screenings of his films on the arts centre’s rooftop.  18 September to 7 March, Rue Ravenstein 23

La Maison des Arts in Schaerbeek presents two exhibitions: Au Jardin (pictured above) the third and final chapter of a three-part exhibition series exploring the theme of “dwelling,” which concludes its bicentenary programme; and the complementary show Habiter la maison, which reopen its doors. These are complementary shows exploring the public areas of the house with elegant bourgeois interiors, as well as the private, secluded bedrooms and the outdoor space. Through contemporary artworks, this domestic triptych evokes the long history of this site, which is steeped in the past. 19 September to 15 November, Chaussée d’Haecht 147 (Schaerbeek)

Medieval festivities return to Forest Abbey this year after skipping an edition last year. The Fêtes Médievales de Forest invites everyone to immerse themselves in the historic age, which is populated with a cast of characters: from knights, soldiers, peasants and fair damsels, to minstrels, magicians, thieves, acrobats, jesters, jugglers, executioners and fire-breathers. They are joined by a band of artisans, a market and plenty of period activities and entertainment. 18-20 September, Friday 17.00-23.00; Saturday 10.00-23.00; Sunday 10.00-18.30, Place Saint-Denis 9 (Forest)

A Good Crisis (and how not to waste it) is the main topic of conversation for British historian and essayist Timothy Garton Ash and Dutch journalist Caroline de Gruyter. With Europe seeming to be in a permanent state of crisis, from internal division and Euroscepticism to the European Union struggling with its role in the new world order, the two writers share their insights on its future. The event is a co-production by literary house Passa Porta and Flagey that is moderated by Karel Verhoeven, editor-in-chief of De Standaard. 24 September 20.15-21.45, Flagey, Place-Sainte-Croix

OUTSIDE BRUSSELS

Internationally acclaimed cellist Bagjan Oktyabr performs his “Soul Therapy” programme at Hasselt’s Trixxo Theater on Sunday. As a contemporary crossover cellist, Oktyabr combines classical musicianship with modern arrangements, cinematic themes and globally recognised melodies. The one-night concert is part of the European leg of his current international tour that includes London, Hasselt, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Stockholm and Hamburg.  20 September 20.00, Gouverneur Verwilghensingel 70, Hasselt (Limburg)

More than 100 outdoor concerts across the region are just one of the attractions of the annual Fêtes de Wallonie. Celebrating its 103rd edition, the programme includes colourful traditional folklore, such as messes held in Walloon dialect, jousting on stilts (échasseurs, pictured) and official ceremonies. The main hub for ‘Les Wallos’ is the regional capital Namur with parades, animations and shows in city streets. There’s also a packed programme in Charleroi, Liège, La Louvière and other towns. Warning: crowds are habitually dense, the pekèt will be flowing and Walloon songs ringing out. Until 21 September, across Wallonia

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

Photos: (main image) ©Semaine de la Mobilité; Heritage Days: Parvis Morichar, Marie Janson Square, Séverin Malaud ©urban brussels; Puppet in the City @Crimes et Châtiments – Cie Les Karyatides; MC Escher Beyond Infinity ©Tempora; William Kentridge, still from Self-Portrait as a Coffee-Pot ©William Kentridge. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2024. Courtesy the artist, Goodman Gallery and Hauser & Wirth; La Maison des Arts: Silja Hubert, Temps de mailles 2024; courtesy Fêtes de Wallonie