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What’s on this week: 25 June to 1 July
Open-air cinema is back this summer! While Bruxelles fait son cinéma was able to stage a light version of its nomadic screenings last year, it was no way to celebrate its 20th edition. So this year under the tagline 20+1, it offers 20 movies in 15 squares, parks and courtyards across the capital. Most of them are recent flicks, but some of them are old favourites. All are in French, most without subtitles. 30 June to 25 July, across Brussels
The 35th anniversary edition of the lunchtime concert series Midis-Minimes kicks off this week with Belgian violist Cesar Nikolai Laporev backed by the Nuove Musiche orchestra. The eclectic programme has a focus on young musicians, who offer everything from Baroque to Romantic and instrumental to vocal. There are two concerts a day, each lasting 35 minutes. 1 July to 31 August 12.15 & 13.15, Royal Conservatory, Rue de la Régence 30
The human sculptures in the exhibition Hyperrealism: Ceci n’est pas un corps are so life-like, it’s sometimes a little creepy. But it also removes a layer between us and art when figures are not made of stone, but (seemingly) flesh and blood. The show is by turns unexpected, touching, startling and delightful. 25 June to 7 November, Tour & Taxis, Avenue du Port 86
According to an old Spanish folk tradition, villagers used to cry directly into the cloudy sky to ward off an approaching storm. The chant ‘a nublo!’ was used to scare away lightning and turn hail into raindrops. Kaaitheater puts you in the eye of the storm with a kind of hybrid of visual arts and performance art. There are no actors and no dialogue; it’s just you and the rest of the audience – and the elements. 25-26 June, Sainctelettesquare 20
The world is facing major challenges: climate change, demographic explosion, natural resource depletion, species extinction, etc. Does technology offer any hope at all? The exhibition Hyper Organisms explores the complex evolution of the relationships between species – natural or artificial – and the way they influence each other, for better or worse. Until 19 September, iMal, Quai des Charbonnages 30 (Molenbeek)
Whether you are an auto aficionado or just thought sports cars were cool when you were a kid, there is plenty of eye candy at Jaguar E-Type: A Legend Turns 60, the latest show at Autoworld. See 15 of the E-series, a car that even Enrico Piaggio had to admit was the most beautiful ever designed. Autoworld also has a summer bar right out front, with DJs and foodtrucks. Until 29 August, Parc du Cinquantenaire 11
The grand Vaux Hall in Brussels Park is the place to be for Vaux Hall Summer, a barrage of indoor and outdoor events and activities, including puppet shows, film screenings, concerts, tango and yoga. Until 15 August, Brussels Park, Rue Ducale
Catch the tail end of Unheard Stories, an online film festival hosted by the European Commission. It features documentaries about the refugee experience and has some fantastic stories to offer, from two gay Syrians whose dream is to reach the Mr Gay World event in Malta to the buzzing transit site at the defunct Tempelhof Airport in Berlin. Until 26 June
Sign up now: Brussels 20k It’s not cancelled but only postponed! Registrations open on 1 July for the popular run, happening on 12 September, a few months later than its normal May date. Sign up early because it will fill up in no time. Walkers are also welcome this year, with the cut-off time to finish the race extended from four hours to six.
OUTSIDE BRUSSELS
Les Festivals des Wallonie kick off this week with Musiq3 in Brussels. The region-wide celebration of classical and new music has different editions across Wallonia for a programme full of exciting and diverse concerts that last clear until October. Musiq3 in the capital of the country is followed by Festival Musical De Namur, in the capital of Wallonia. The overarching theme this year is Happy! with a focus on celebratory music. Let’s get this party started! 25 June to 14 October, across Brussels and Wallonia
Summer of Antwerp is a months-long festival of dance, theatre, concerts and circus. Much of it is in squares and parks around the city and completely free. Don’t miss the portside Zomerbar or the Zomerfabriek, a little festival within a festival with a café, arts installations, vintage markets and all kinds of workshops, all for free. Hidden away behind a graffiti-covered shipping container, it’s open six days (and nights) a week. Until 5 September, across Antwerp
Photos, from top: ©Christophe Timmermans/Bruxelles fait son cinema; ‘Josh’, 2010, ©Tony Matelli/courtesy the artist and Institute for Cultural Exchange, Tübingen; ©Louis-Philippe Rondeau/courtesy iMAL, courtesy Brussels Major Events, courtesy O’Celli