What’s on this week: 9 to 15 January

Brussels Motor Show returns for its 102nd edition, showcasing 67 car and van brands, motorcycles and latest trends and technology in the automobile sector. Even if you’re not looking to purchase new wheels, there’s eSport simulators and displays of dream and sports cars for additional head-turning entertainment. The salon at Brussels Expo also hosts the Car of the Year 2026 award ceremony. 9-18 January, Place de la Belgique (Laeken)

One of Belgium’s top jazz festivals, Brussels Jazz Festival celebrates its 11th anniversary with an innovative programme at Flagey. It begins in style with Danish multi-instrumentalist Jakob Bro unveiling a new work with his trio (pictured) as part of the Jazz Meets Symphonic series. Resident artist Belgian-Tunisian pianist Wajdi Riahi presents three new works. A screening of the documentary The Magic City – Birmingham according to Sun Ra by Guillaume Maupin and Pablo Guarise relates the life and legacy of the Afrofuturist jazz musician. Warning: Tickets are selling fast... 15-24 January, Place Flagey (Ixelles)

Kicking off the New Year with a bang, this first edition of a contemporary percussion festival is aptly named Beats & Pieces. Connecting diverse genres and cultures, it opens with the session Poetry Meets Percussion and concerto performances by percussionist Colin Currie and the Belgian National Orchestra. The festival continues with Mark Guiliana, Groove&, Bl!ndman Drums and an ensemble around Ryoji Ikeda's Music (pictured) before closing with Belgian trio Spëcht and Ugandan trio  Arsenal Mikebe. 15-18 January, Bozar (Rue Ravenstein 23) and other locations

Two notable and contrasting premiere screenings are coming up at Palace Cinema. CinéFemme presents Hamnet by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao on Sunday morning is an award season favourite that poetically explores the grief experienced by William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his wife, Agnes Hathaway (Jessie Buckley). On Monday evening, the documentary Ceux qui veillent (pictured) explores the deep bond between the living and the dead at a multi-faith cemetery in Brussels. A discussion with director Karima Saïdi follows. 11 January 10.45 (Hamnet); 12 January 18.45 (Ceux qui veillent), Boulevard Anspach 85

Pioneering American conceptual artist John Baldessari was a towering figure in the world of contemporary art. A major retrospective of his work from the 1960s to the 2000s at Bozar is an exuberant immersion into key stages of his career as an artist and teacher; he infamously told his students to write “I will not make boring art” on the walls. Parables, Fables and Other Tall Stories is a colourful insight into Baldessari’s storytelling through art, appropriating images and texts to create a new visual lexicon. Photographs, paintings, installations, videos and even wallpaper he designed, attest to the late artist’s visionary way of looking at art. Until 1 February, Rue Ravenstein 23

Ahead of Belgium’s own carnival celebrations, Anthony J Brand presents The Origins and Importance of Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago at the International Study Group’s January meeting. The Belgium-based trade consultant will play carnival music and discuss the dances associated with the celebrations, as well as the traditional and contemporary masks used in masquerades. Non-members welcome and pay a €15 fee at the entrance. 12 January 10.00, Chateau Malou, Allee Pierre Levie 2, Woluwe Saint Lambert

Book now The Bridge Theatre: The Complete Works of Shakespeare – kinda… After selling out its  10 January Saturday Nights at the Studio event, the community theatre has scheduled three more performances of its whirlwind tour of the bard’s 37 plays. Brussels-based actors Charlie Catrall, Jacey Schult and Rozana Radu perform the complete works in just 87 minutes. Expect chaos, comedy, quick changes, and a wildly entertaining crash course in Shakespeare. 17, 24 & 31 January, Chaussee de Forest 83, Saint-Gilles

OUTSIDE BRUSSELS

The ruins of Villers Abbey serve as a backdrop to a poignant visual survey of the threat to  the European coastline by climate change. The exhibition Yderst by Sébastien Van Malleghem and Kristen R Johnsen consists of 18 large-format photos, which highlight how coastal ecosystems are vulnerable to habitat loss and degradation, pollution and overexploitation of fish stocks. From the Norwegian Arctic to Brittany and Belgium, the show plunges us into the daily lives of coastal communities. Until 15 March, Rue de l’Abbaye 55, Villers-la-Ville (Walloon Brabant)

It’s the final weekend for two major exhibitions at Antwerp’s Royal Museum of Fine Arts (KMSKA). Eugeen Van Mieghem: City in motion shows pastels and drawings by the Belgian painter (1875-1930) that evocatively bring the early 20th-century city to life. Donas, Archipenko & La Section d'Or. Enchanting Modernism reveals the central role of Marthe Donas in the international avant-garde. It traces how she and her partner, Ukrainian sculptor Alexander Archipenko, forged a singular and influential path, alongside artist friends such as Mondrian, Modigliani and other pioneering women artists (painting by Donas, pictured). Until 11 January, Leopold de Waelplaats 1, Antwerp

The exhibition Beauty & Resistance at the historic St Peters Abbey in Ghent showcases the work of city photographer Michiel Hendryck. In this personal journey, the former press lensman shares his pursuit for captivating images and intimate tales, reframing beauty as a tool of resilience and identity. A leading figure in the local art scene, he was also an inspiring teacher at the Ghent Academy of Fine Arts.  Until 18 January, Sint-Pietersplein 9, Ghent

Adamo: Roots and Echoes is a personal journey through the Belgian-Italian singer-songwriter’s early years in the Mons region. Via sound and video archives, personal belongings, manuscripts, photographs, records, and testimonials, it highlights his Sicilian roots, the daily life of a working-class family in post-war Belgium, his artistic awakening and his first steps on stage at the beginning of his prolific career. Until 7 March, Bibliothèque de Jemappes (Salle Reghem), Rue Félix Reghem 1, Jemappes (Hainaut)

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

Photos: (main image) courtesy Brussels Motor Show; Jakob Bro Midori Takada Mark Turner; Beats & Pieces: Ryoji Ikeda ©GR-DR; Ceux qui veillent by Karima Saidi; ©John Baldessari; Yderst ©S Van Malleghem; Marthe Donas, Enfant avec des roses, privécollectie ©SABAM Belgium; ©Michiel Hendryck; Racines & résonances - Expo Adamo - Salle Reghem - Maison communal de Jemappes 2025 ©Ville de Mons/Oswald