Summer in the city: Brussels Beach
That pop-up beach is back, with all the sand, lounge chairs, boat trips and caipirinhas you know and love
Star annual fixture
On those days, only the expansive feeling of being close to water and a cocktail made by a barkeep who knows what’s up can offer mild relief.
You can get all that and the proverbial more at Brussels Beach, a pop-up beach the City of Brussels creates at the canal quays around the Sainctelette area every summer – sand, deckchairs, waving palm trees and all.
Think of Brussels Beach as an extension of the Couleur Café music festival, the difference being that most of the activities on offer are totally gratis, making it both one of the city’s star annual fixtures and most accessible summer hangouts.
Sure, Brussels Beach offers the typical seaside animations with its pétanque cup, beach volley tournaments, rentable paddle boats and food stalls with dishes from around the world. But its singularity lies in all the things on offer you don’t find at your typical beachfront.
Since the first edition in 2003, the city has steadfastly chosen to partner with local institutions and associations so that the beach would showcase the diversity and broad cultural offerings of the capital at large.
This year, that means open-air screenings of recent opera productions in collaboration with De Munt, a “Let It Beach” festival that pushes mostly unknown Brussels and Belgian bands into the quay limelight, a “Boatclub” for nightlife lovers that hits the canal on weekends with local DJs like Lefto and Supafly behind the decks, and “Kidsgazette” art workshops with the local artist collective Patrimoine à Roulettes. And much, much more.
4 July to 10 August, Saincteletteplein, Brussels
