What’s on this week: 2 to 8 May

The Brussels region celebrates its 36th anniversary with a packed weekend of free activities for the 2025 Iris Festival. On Saturday, there are festivities in individual municipalities, followed by the Iris Tipik Electro Night, which transforms the Place des Palais into a mega dance floor with DJ Fatboy Slim heading the line-up. On Sunday, the Brussels Parliament opens its doors and there’s a party in Brussels park and the royal quarter. Street art, food truck, family activities and a new Iris Market are all on the programme. 3-4 May, multiple locations around the city

Finally, Brussels has opened its own Fries Museum! Dedicated to the world of Belgian fries and their signature ingredient, the humble potato, the 900m2 space offers visitors a "fun, interactive, and gourmet" interactive experience, promises the new institution located just off the Grand Place. It has been launched by its neighbour, Choco Story Brussels. Combined tickets are on sale for both Belgian cultural experiences and audio-guided tours are available in 11 languages. Rue de l’Etuve 26-28

For its contribution to the Art Deco centenary celebrations, the Maison Autrique dives into leisure activities of the interwar period in its year-long exhibition Loisirs-Plezier Brussels 1920-1940. The population of Brussels was unaware another world war was looming and after the horrors of WWI they threw themselves wholeheartedly into enjoying new pleasurable pursuits and entertainment. Posters, magazines, photographs, enamel signs and objects reveal the atmosphere of Brussels life at the time. 3 May to 12 April, Chaussée de Haecht 266 (Schaerbeek)

Belgian cartoonist Claude Renard was a multifaceted artist: an acclaimed author, illustrator and theatre and set designer who also turned his hand to welding, sculpting and goldsmithing. The Comic Strip Museum’s retrospective Claude Renard – Stars and shards recreates his studio in a curiosity cabinet and displays some 200 objects and drawings. They illustrate the career of this artist and teacher who inspired a golden generation of Belgian comics. Until 2 November, Rue des Sables 20

Some 100 gleaming vintage Citroën cars will grace Autoworld’s Citroën DS & Coffee event on Sunday. In honour of the museum’s current exhibition Citroën DS – An Icon Turns 70, the fleet of classic, as well as a few contemporary models, will be pulling into the esplanade of Cinquantenaire Park. 4 May 10.00-14.00, Place de l’Esplanade 11, Cinquantenaire park (Etterbeek)

All aboard Brussels’ Waterbus! The canal service launches on 1 May, ferrying passengers for the spring-summer season along the Zenne between Sainctelette and Vilvoorde. With the trip taking around one hour and including five stops (all connected to public transport), it’s popular with commuters, tourists and day trippers, as well as cyclists who can take their bikes on to the boat and cycle back. At weekends, the company offers themed trips and cruises. Advance reservations necessary. Quai des Péniches (Brussels) and Steenkaai (Vilvoorde)

The world renowned Queen Elisabeth Competition kicks off with the first public rounds at Flagey from 5 to 10 May. This year, the prestigious classical music competition is dedicated to the piano. Seventy rising stars from around the globe are performing in the marathon contest with semi-finals scheduled for 12 to 17 May and the final round from 26 to 31 May before the grand finale at Bozar (pictured) on 11 June. If you can’t snag tickets, follow the action on social media and YouTube. National TV and radio stations also broadcast performances from the semi-final rounds onwards. 5 May to 11 June, Flagey (Place Sainte-Croix) and Bozar (Rue Ravenstein 23)

Visitors to the idyllic Rouge-Cloître park can immerse themselves in the enigmatic world of cartoonists Schuiten and Peeters in the exhibition URBICANDE. The Endless Investigation. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the visionary pair’s award-winning album La Fièvre d'Urbicande, original works and objects have been loaned by the authors, the Maison Autrique and several private collectors. The exhibition highlights passionate collector Philippe Seynaeve, who spent several years assembling works related to the album. Until 1 June, Centre d’Art de Rouge-Cloître, Rue du Rouge-Cloître 4 (Auderghem)

Book now KFDA The 30th edition of KunstenFestivaldesArts injects the capital with outstanding performance vibes from around the globe. Celebrating contemporary artistic creation through theatre, dance, performance and visual arts, it offers 34 artistic projects – including 16 world premieres –by artists from 26 different countries, including Belgium. Check out the full programme and pick up some tickets now! Pictured: Jaha Koo’s Haribo Kimchi (21-25 May at Le Rideau). 9 to 31 May, multiple locations in the city-centre

Book now Bozar Meet the Thinker: Jacinda Ardern The former New Zealand prime minister presents her highly-anticipated memoir A Different Kind of Power, and discusses her brand of empathetic, compassionate and kind governance. Ardern was 37 when she assumed the leadership role, steering her country from 2017 to 2023 through turbulent events such as a volcanic eruption, terrorist attacks, a major biosecurity breach and a global pandemic. 19 June 20.00, Rue Ravenstein 23

Outside Brussels

The Horst Arts and Music Festival in Vilvoorde offers three full days of festivities, electronic  music and art. With 115 artists on the bill, the 11th edition promises to be loads of fun. A collaboration with Bosch ebikes Systems enables festivalgoers from Brussels to travel to the event in a cycling peloton from the capital, complete with a line-up of female DJs. 1-3 May, Willem Elsschotstraat 15, Vilvoorde

Set in the enchanting seven-hectare English park of a Cistercian abbey in Lasne, Les Jardins d’Aywiers is a popular event in gardeners’ calendars. Some 200 professional nurseries, landscape gardeners and other experts are on hand to advise you with your garden for this 33rd edition. There are also visits of the abbey, a variety of workshops and talks and kids’ activities. 2-4 May, Rue de l’Abbaye 14 (Walloon Brabant)

The Enchanted Garden 2025 is an international art exhibition hosted by the summer cafe of the Au Moulin des Délices B&B. Located in a pretty Brabant Walloon village, the Art Sanctuary event runs all summer, divided into four seasons. It features some 100 works of art, including new artists and names familiar from previous editions. Organic and locally-sourced drinks and snacks are served in the pretty garden. Until early October, Rue du Moulin de Genville 18, Saint-Remy-Geest, Jodoigne (Brabant Walloon)

Bruges’ Groeninge Museum – home to six centuries of Belgian art – is currently hosting a temporary show Pride & Solace: medieval books of hours and their readers. Drawing on the collections of the city’s public library, it displays breathtaking rare tiny books full of fervent  prayers and miniature portraits that were once precious objects in the Middle Ages. The exhibition offers a window into the lives of the city’s once wealthy and influential population. Until 7 October,

The first solo exhibition in Belgium by acclaimed Palestinian-Danish artist Larissa Sansour, While We Count Our Earthquakes, draws on themes like the suffering of the Palestinian people and the threat of natural disasters. Sansour explores mourning, memory and intergenerational trauma through speculative narratives and science fiction. Until 21 September, Kunsthal Extra City, Antwerp

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

Photos: (main image) Iris Festival 2024 ©Visitbrussels/JP Rémy; Fries museum ©Daniel Fouss; QEC Piano Bozar ©Bruno Vessiez; KFDA Jaha Koo - Haribo Kimchi © Bea Borgers; Ardern Jacinda ©Jane Ussher; Pride & solace: www.museabrugge.be