Two weeks, dozens of entries, and a winner. There were Antwerp balls, climbing and creepily hanging statues, monument to a frog in a very unexpected place, even more peeing statues (of course, no surprise there), and much much more of a fun content.

But there could only be one 🗿 Weird Belgium Legend

Congratulations to u/noxhalo, who submitted a statue in Wervik of two deer, uh, mid-courtship. On the main square and fully committed to the concept.

And the kicker from the entry itself:

"This statue of a couple of deer doing the deed in Wervik. I'm related to the guy who made it, too :)"

Which is either the strongest possible endorsement or a family Christmas dinner conversation waiting to happen. Either way, worthy winner!

Prize: the shiny new 🗿 Weird Belgium Legend flair, now officially assigned, wear it proudly.

Wervik itself is quietly one of Belgium's oldest towns and its tobacco museum is quite interesting

Thanks to everyone who played along! This is exactly the kind of thing that makes moderating this sub fun. Belgium is a wonderful country with its own hidden gems and it turns out we've barely scratched the surface.

You can find more entries and weird monuments in the original post.

Two big events land on the same weekend this year: the Grand-Place disappears under half a million flowers for the first time since 2024, and Outremeuse throws the loudest party in Wallonia. Saturday is also a public holiday, so read the heads-up first.

⚠️ Heads-up

Saturday 15 August is a public holiday (Assumption). Most shops and supermarkets will be shut. Tourist-zone shops in Bruges, central Brussels and at the coast usually stay open, but don't count on your usual supermarket.

Public transport runs a Sunday timetable on Saturday. SNCB, De Lijn, STIB and TEC all switch to holiday service on 15 August,so fewer trains and buses than a normal Saturday. Check your route before you leave.

⭐ Weekend highlight: the Flower Carpet, Brussels

Tapis de Fleurs / Bloementapijt (Grand-Place, 13–16 August): it only happens every two years, and this is the 24th edition. A 70 × 24 metre carpet built from more than 500,000 dahlias, this year designed around Hokusai's Great Wave off Kanagawa to mark 160 years of Belgian–Japanese relations, with Japanese artist Hiro Sugiyama and his Tokyo collective Enlightenment involved in the design.

New this year: a second carpet at the Bourse, themed on hops as a nod to Belgian brewing.

- Free to walk around from the square itself.

- Sound and light show every evening, 21:00–23:00, every half hour.

- Town Hall balcony (the proper panoramic view) is ticketed, you can book online, though same-day tickets are also sold at the Town Hall entrance. Balcony hours Sat and Sun 10:00–22:00, last entry 21:30.

🏛️ Brussels

Festival Théâtres Nomades (Bois de la Cambre, 13–16 August, Sat & Sun from 13:30): 19th edition of this free street-arts festival: circus, puppets, street theatre and marquee shows in a temporary "nomad village". Outdoor shows are free to walk into, a few marquee shows need booking. Volunteers pass the hat afterwards.

Brussels Dance Festival (De Brouckère, Bourse, Town Hall, Place de la Monnaie, 14–23 August): free daily 15:00–22:00, with performances, battles, workshops and DJ sets across the city centre. After-parties on Friday and Saturday until 2:00.

Royal Palace (Sunday 16 August is the final day): first summer opening since 2022, and the season ends a month earlier than usual because of a state visit. €10 adults, free under 13, timed slots online only, no tickets at the door. Closed Mondays, 10:30–17:00, last entry 16:00.

🦁 Flanders

Ambachtelijk Weekend (across the Waasland and Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, Sat 12:00–18:00, Sun 10:00–18:00): hundreds of makers open their workshops: lacemakers, clog makers, blacksmiths, cheesemakers, distillers, beekeepers. Free, with signposted cycling routes linking the ateliers. This year's theme is "Go with the Flow".

Paulusfeesten (Sint-Petrus & Paulusplein, Ostend, 11–17 August): 53rd edition of one of the country's oldest free city festivals, running all weekend. Street theatre, decorated squares and multiple stages.

Heuvellandse Wijnfeesten (De Warande park, Kemmel, Saturday 15 August): the Heuvelland winegrowers pour their wines in one place, alongside regional food stalls. Entry is free, tasting requires buying the festival glass. Check the Toerisme Heuvelland events page for this year's glass price and times.

🐓 Wallonia

Fêtes du 15 août en Outremeuse (Liège, 14–16 August, free): Friday opens with the tir de campes on Place Delcour and the Royal Bouquet d'Outre-Meuse, which turns 250 this year. Saturday is the heart of it — the procession of the Black Virgin, mass in Walloon at Saint-Nicolas, the blessing of couples, and the folkloric parade of the Giants of Outremeuse from 14:30. Sunday at 17:00 brings the Enterrement de Matî l'Ohê: a mock funeral for a bone, complete with wailing mourners, ending with the bone being burned. Full programme at tchantches.be.

Régate Internationale de Baignoires (Dinant, Saturday 15 August, free): 44th edition of the bathtub regatta: homemade craft, human power only, 1 km down the Meuse, watched by tens of thousands from both banks. This year's theme is "icône.s de la m(e)usique". A brocante and funfair run in town all day.

Marche Saint-Roch (Ham-sur-Heure, Sunday 16 August, free): one of the UNESCO-listed Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse marches, in its 388th year. Napoleonic uniforms, fifes and drums, and a procession that leaves at 12:00, bivouacs at the Trois-Arbres chapel at 14:00, and returns to the château courtyard at 17:15. Torchlit retreat from 22:00. There's a Saturday prologue too: the statue of Saint Roch is carried from its chapel to the parish church at 17:30.

Also on Saturday: the Beau Vélo de RAVeL stops in Bièvre (Rue de la Chapelle 8). Village opens 09:30, peloton leaves at 13:10, free 10 km loop open 10:00–16:00. Free, registration recommended.

🌿 Nature tip

If the Brussels crowds get to you, the Sonian Forest starts where the Bois de la Cambre ends and is several degrees cooler than the city centre. It's a 4,400-hectare beech forest, with 270 hectares UNESCO-listed since 2017 as part of the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests inscription — the "Cathedral Beech" section is the one to aim for. Tram 8 drops you at the Bois de la Cambre. Free, open always, and you can pair it with Théâtres Nomades in the same afternoon.

Our city transport guide has the STIB fare details if you're new to Brussels trams.

🍹This weekends photo guessing is different: guess what's in these cups.

Six little cups, six colours. Two clues: you'd be drinking these in Liège, and 15 August is the day you're most likely to be handed a tray of them.

Share more activities and interesting events below, that's always welcome!

Belgium got roughly 90% coverage at around 20:13 tonight. That's the biggest partial eclipse here since 1999, and according to VRT the next one of this size will not be there until 2081. Hence the question:where were you and what did you actually see?

Half of Belgium seemed to have a plan. The coast, the terrils in Limburg, the Maagdentoren in Scherpenheuvel, the Werchter festival field, the terrace of the Triumphal Arch in Brussels. People just watching in fields, on the terraces, on driveways. Organising multiple eclipse parties and meetups.

My own contribution is not exactly astrophotography. I never got a decent shot of the sun itself, but the tree next to the house did a much better job than my camera did: every gap between the leaves worked as a pinhole and projected dozens of tiny crescent suns onto the wall and the garage door. A little planetarium for the ones who got no glasses.

Now it's your turn to attach the picture and share your eclipse experience. You can also include where in Belgium did you watch from and whether the view was good.

And if you're still awake: the Perseids peak tonight, so you can make a wish on a falling star. No equipment needed, just somewhere dark and away from city lights.

Photos very welcome. Crescents on a garage door fully count.

Brussels plants a tree that's been planted every year since 1308, Bouillon fills its valley with knights, Antwerp throws its biggest parade of the year, and two of Flanders' best summer festivals hit their final day. Also: buy your eclipse glasses this weekend, or you won't get any.

⚠️ Heads up

🌑 Eclipse glasses are running out. On Wednesday 12 August Belgium gets a partial solar eclipse with around 89–90% of the sun covered, the biggest since 1999 and the last one on this scale until 2142. You need glasses marked CE and EN ISO 12312-2. Sunglasses, camera filters and 3D glasses do nothing and will damage your eyes permanently and painlessly. The optician's association says most shops will be out of stock by the end of this week. Urania in Hove has closed its webshop, and MIRA in Grimbergen has gone from 13,000 pairs to 5,000 with no restock coming. Buy this weekend if you want to see it.

🌡️ Heat. Saturday is sunny and warm, around 29 °C in the centre, 27 °C at the coast and in the Ardennes. Sunday is the peak: above 30 °C everywhere, roughly 33 °C inland, with thunderstorms possibly pushing up from France late in the day. Most of what's below is all-day outdoors. Water, hat, shade, and check meteo.be

⭐ Weekend highlight: the Meyboom, Brussels

Meyboom (Sunday 9 August, city centre, free) — Brussels' oldest folk tradition, attested since 1308 and on the UNESCO intangible heritage list. Every 9 August a young beech is cut in the Sonian Forest at dawn, carried through the city by the Buumdroegers, and planted at the corner of Rue des Sables and Rue du Marais before 17:00. If it isn't up by five, the story goes, the honour passes to Leuven. It has never happened.

The procession leaves at 12:45 from the planting corner with giants, a brass band, the Gardevils and the Poepedroegers, reaching the Grand-Place around 14:10 before looping back for the planting.

Come to the Grand-Place at two for the spectacle, or the Rue des Sables corner late afternoon for the planting itself. Bear in mind it's the hottest afternoon of the weekend and the Grand-Place has almost no shade.

🏛️ Brussels

- Rooftop Bozar — "L'Heure Bleue" (rue Ravenstein 23, Tue–Sun 16:00–23:00, free): Bozar's roof terrace is open all summer with a genuinely good view over the lower city, an all-Belgian programme of DJ sets, small concerts and food collectives, and no entry fee.

- Pavi'On Summer — Happy'Noons (Parc du Cinquantenaire, Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 August, free): Neighbourhood-run afternoons in the park: dance, crafts, gentle movement, creative workshops.

Worth planning ahead: the Flower Carpet returns to the Grand-Place 13–16 August, themed on Japan, with a second carpet at the Bourse for the first time. Free from the square; Town Hall balcony €8 in advance, €9 on the day, free under 10.

🦁 Flanders

- Antwerp Pride Parade (Saturday 8 August, 14:00–18:00, free): This year's theme is "Fearless". The parade starts on the Scheldekaaien at Brouwersvliet and winds through the old town, closing out a programme that's run since Wednesday, with a family day behind it and a closing event on Sunday. Expect serious crowds and rolling street closures, the city has a dedicated access page at slimnaarantwerpen.be.

- Theater op de Markt (Hasselt, until Sunday 9 August): Final weekend of Limburg's street theatre and circus festival — 35+ productions across squares, parks and streets, with a large part of the programme free and outdoors. Ticketed indoor shows around €9 (€8 reduced). It only runs in even years, so the next one is 2028.

- Theater aan Zee (Ostend, Saturday 8 August is the last day): The 29th edition wraps up. Leopoldpark is the hub, and WonderWaai there is free — circus, acrobatics, family theatre, workshops, kids' café.

- Fonnefeesten (Lokeren, closing Sunday 9 August): Last day of the free ten-day city-park festival, and Sunday is traditionally the family-friendly one.

🐓 Wallonia

- Fête Médiévale de Bouillon (Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 August): The 39th edition, and more of it is free than you'd expect. Free: the medieval markets across four sites (hypocras, mead, leather, jewellery), the roaming street troupes from 14:00 both days, and the reconstructed encampments at Champs Lévêque and Île de Calay, where international-level fighters do full armoured combat and there are proper equestrian jousts. Kids get a 200 m² combat arena, a school of pages and pony rides. Saturday evening adds mini-concerts at La Poulie, the Grand-Rue and the Sépulcrines esplanade, a torchlit procession of knights and Vikings from the Pont de Cordemois at 21:15, and a fire show in the Sépulcrines park to close.

Paid: the castle itself, via the Pass Médiéval (€25 adults/seniors, €15 children and students, free under 4), which covers the falconry displays, the garrison troupes and the Odyssée de Lumière night show — book a time slot, they're every 15 minutes. Bouillon has no station, nearest is Libramont, then bus.

- Beau Vélo de RAVeL (Fleurus, Saturday 8 August, free): RTBF's summer cycling caravan stops in Fleurus for the first time, based at the Château de la Paix — the country house where Napoleon slept the night before Ligny.

- Marches ADEPS (Sunday 9 August, all over Wallonia, free): Sixteen waymarked walks, 5/10/15/20 km, no registration — just turn up between 08:00 and 18:00 and pick your distance. If you don't know these, they're one of the most underrated things in Belgium: village clubs mark out routes through their own countryside and run a bar at the finish.

This week's picks: Anhée (along the Meuse and the Molignée, past the back of the Annevoie gardens; the 5 km is flat, shaded on the return and pushchair-friendly), Floreffe (every route passes the abbey), and Hogne, where the walk is paired with Les Arts en Fête - artists' exhibition, small producers' market and music all day. Given Sunday's heat, the shaded 5 and 10 km options are the sensible call.

- Ronde des Producteurs de nos Collines (Trois-Ponts, Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 August, 11:00–18:00): Local producers across this hill village open their doors: orchards, a winery, a cheesemaker, a distillery, apple juice, charcuterie. Drive or cycle between them at your own pace. Free to visit, you pay for what you taste and buy.

🌸 Nature tip: the sky next week

Two things land almost on top of each other, and this weekend is when you prepare for them.

Wednesday 12 August, early evening: the eclipse. In Brussels it starts at 19:18, peaks at 20:13 with roughly 89% of the sun covered, and by then the sun sits only about 7° above the horizon, so a clear view to the west/north-west matters more than anything else. Rooftops, coastal dunes, polder edges, Ardennes ridgelines. Current forecasts point to a sunny evening.

Several places open up for free that day: the Royal Observatory's rarely accessible radioastronomy station at Humain near Marche-en-Famenne from 17:00, the Cosmodrome at Thor Park in Genk from 18:30 (limited glasses on sale there), and MUMONS at the Silex's site in Spiennes near Mons from 19:00, no booking. More at Manhay, Grimbergen, Ypres, Bruges and on the MAS rooftop in Antwerp.

That same night: the Perseids peak. The shower runs to 24 August but the maximum falls on the night of 12–13 August, and the new moon is on the 12th: no moonlight, so even the faint meteors show. Get well away from towns and motorways: the Hautes Fagnes, the Semois valley, the deeper Ardennes. If you're in Bouillon this weekend, you've already found one of the darker corners of the country.

Getting to the Ardennes without a car needs planning: the basics are in our Getting Around Belgium wiki.

📷 This weekend is an easy one, be first and guess the location!

And if you have more ideas on what to do, include them in the comments. Or if you found the place that still sells the eclipse glasses, share as well!

Hasselt gets loud in August. The city itself runs a full free programme all month, and this year it includes the biennial street theatre festival, which is the single best reason to put Hasselt on your list.

Here's what's actually worth planning around.

⭐ Theater op de Markt: 5 to 9 August

Five days of international circus, street theatre, dance and location performance across the whole city centre. It only happens in even years, so if you miss it you're waiting until 2028.

Over 35 productions spread across the Grote Markt, Stadspark, Quartier Bleu, the Begijnhof site, Vismarkt, Kolonel Dusartplein, Domein Kiewit and the old UHasselt prison. A large part of the programme is free and outdoors — you can genuinely just wander in and stumble into something. Indoor and select shows are ticketed separately.

Full timetable per day: theateropdemarkt.be

Also in August

- Obon Nocturne (Japanese Garden, Fri 7 & Sat 8 August, 17:30–23:30): The Japanese Garden opens after dark for the Obon festival — floating lanterns on the pond in front of the ceremonial house, Bon Odori dance workshops, koto and harp performances, Japanese catering. Visitors get a free lantern to launch. Note: the garden is closed during the day on both dates.

- PKP DWNTWN (city centre, Sat 15 August, 14:00 till late): Pukkelpop's free city-centre spin-off. Main stage on Kolonel Dusartplein, a second stage on Van Veldekeplein and a new electronic stage in Dokter Willemsstraat, plus urban sports, live street art, a market of local makers, flash tattoos and workshops. Completely free

- Zomerfilms (Domein Kiewit, 12–16 and 26–30 August): Ten films on a big screen under the open sky, run by the city with Cinema ZED. Free. Bring your own camping chair, a blanket and mosquito spray — screenings start at sunset.

- Zuivelmarkt Zomert (Zuivelmarkt, Thu 27 August, 17:00–23:00): The last of four summer editions. 22 bars and restaurants take over the street with BBQ, cocktails and an oyster-and-champagne bar. Free to walk in.

- Kamping Kids (Domein Kiewit, Sat 29 & Sun 30 August): Fifth edition. Kiewit becomes one big playground for ages 2–12, with an evening programme and the option to actually camp overnight in the donkey meadow. €6 per child for Saturday, €9 for the weekend including the overnight. Free for under-4s and free for adults.

- Hasselt Sport (Kapermolenpark, Sat 29 August): Around 60 sports to try, free, with the Kapermolen pool and the ice rink opening their doors at no charge for the day.

- Open days at Kiewit airfield (Sat 29 & Sun 30 August): Small aviation open house, good with kids. Details via Visit Hasselt

Running all month

- Hasselt Montmartre — Capucienenplein turns into an open-air art market every Saturday 12:00–18:00, last one on 29 August.

- Antiques and brocante market — Kolonel Dusartplein, every Saturday 08:00–13:00.

- Shopping Sunday — Sunday 2 August, shops open in the afternoon.

A few pictures from Hasselt Quartier Bleu and city centre to get you motivated to visit!

August opens with harvest festivals, a cabbage-eating contest, artisan beer under the trees, Flanders' biggest antique market taking over central Bruges — and the Royal Palace open to visitors for the first time in three years.

⚠️ Heads up

Trains: infrabel works affecting this weekend:

- Brussels-Luxembourg - Vilvoorde / Leuven — weekends through 9 August

- Charleroi-Central - Couvin — daily, 1–23 August (starts Saturday)

- Leuven - Landen / Liège — daily, through 5 August

- Arlon - Athus / Luxembourg (LU) — daily, through 9 August

Check nmbs.be before travelling.

Fonnefeesten — Lokeren's city-park festival kicks off Friday and runs ten days straight, entirely free. Set in the Prinses Joséphine-Charlottepark, it's the relaxed counterweight to the ticketed Lokerse Feesten across the water: around 30 food trucks along the foodstreet, kids' afternoons, DJ sets every night, and a genre spread running from pop and rock to reggae and world music.

Saturday runs from 19:00. Sunday starts early at 12:30 and is the family-friendly day. The park is a short walk from Lokeren station.

🏛️ Brussels

- Royal Palace summer opening (Place des Palais, until 16 August): Open to the public for the first time in three years after major renovation work. The Throne Room with its four Rodin reliefs, the Grand Gallery, the historic salons and the garden, plus four temporary exhibitions including one on Louise d'Orléans, Belgium's first queen. €10 for 13+, free under 13 — but booking a time slot is mandatory for everyone, no walk-ins. There's an NMBS/SNCB partnership giving palace visitors 40% off a return 2nd-class train ticket to Brussels.

- Free museum Sunday (Sunday 2 August): First Sunday of the month, so a long list of museums opens free — Brussels City Museum (Maison du Roi), Fashion & Lace, the Sewer Museum, GardeRobe MannekenPis, Design Museum Brussels, Cinematek, BELvue, the Jewish Museum and more. Online booking usually isn't possible on free Sundays, so it's first come, first served, and last entry can be early afternoon. Full list at brusselsmuseums.be

- Micro Museum of Belgian Fries (Home Frit' Home, Forest — Sat 13:30–18:30, Sun 13:30–18:00, free): Over 1,000 objects tracing fritkot culture through history, comics, fashion, music and art. It only opens on the first weekend of the month, so this is one of twelve chances a year.

- Foire du Midi (Boulevard du Midi, until 23 August): Still running — 1.6 km of attractions and food stands between Porte de Hal and Arts et Métiers. Free to walk through, rides paid. Daily from 14:00 (11:00 for food stands), open until 01:00 on weekends.

🦁 Flanders

- Brugse Zandfeesten (Bruges, Sunday 2 August, 06:00–18:00, free): Flanders' largest antique and flea market takes over 't Zand, Koning Albertpark and the Begijnenvest, with stalls running all the way from the train station into the old town. Only three editions a year.

- Kunstenfestival Watou (Watou/Poperinge, until 30 August, Wed–Sun 10:00–18:00): 60 artists and 25 poets spread across a dozen locations in a border village in the Westhoek, plus concerts, films, workshops and performances under "Watou Live". Ticketed (€25 standard, €20 early bird, €7 under-26, free under-12, €10 with a disability), but the ticket stays valid all summer.

🐓 Wallonia

- Fête de la Moisson (La Hamaide / Ellezelles, 31 July – 2 August): The Écomusée du Pays des Collines throws its 51st harvest festival, with 200 volunteers rebuilding 1950s rural life — hand reaping, flail threshing, working horse teams, vintage tractors, bread-making. Sunday 2 August is the main day from 14:00: 45+ artisan stalls, equestrian shows at 15:00 and 16:00, folk dancing, and a free bal folk from 20:00. Sunday entry €6 adult / €3 child / €15 family. Saturday is quieter and free-form: treasure hunt and village escape game from 14:00, guided nature walk at 14:30.

- Fête du Cabu (Mussy-la-Ville, 1–2 August): The 64th edition of Gaume's oldest village festival, built entirely around the local white cabbage. Last year it pulled 5,500 people and served about 1,000 plates of cabu roussi au gigot d'agneau at the Cercle Saint-Pierre-et-Paul (Saturday evening, Sunday lunch and evening). Daytime activities are free — blind test Saturday from 14:00, music Sunday from 15:00, and at 18:00 the legendary Roi du Cabu contest, where challengers attempt roughly three kilos of stewed cabbage in twenty minutes. The Saturday-night marquee party is a separate ticketed electro night.

- Bièrez-vous? (Ciney, 31 July – 2 August, Parc Saint-Roch): 11th edition. Around 25 Belgian craft breweries pouring 100+ beers, a pop-up restaurant doing beer-paired menus, family programming, and La D'Houblonnée fun run through the park on Sunday morning, with a beer at every 2 km lap.

- Fête Autour de l'Eau (Profondeville, 31 July – 2 August, free): Water-themed community weekend on the Meuse. Vintage-car rally, a well-loved MTB ride on Sunday morning (28th edition), guided walks, kids' animations, concerts and Saturday-night fireworks.

🌿 Nature tip

The heather is right on the cusp. It typically starts turning purple in early August and hits full colour mid-August to mid-September, so this weekend you'd be catching the very first flush — early enough to have the paths largely to yourself. The paarse route through Thorpark in Oudsbergen (6.2 km, Nationaal Park Hoge Kempen) and Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide (28 marked walks, plus a fire-lookout tower with a 360° view) are the two best bets. Go early: these paths are wide, sandy and almost entirely shadeless, which is not what you want at 30°C.

📸 With so many different activities for this weekend to choose from, this seagull is judging you if you still have not picked up anything.

But it will spare your sandwich if you suggest even more events or activities in the commenrs!

So, this is Gentse Feesten week, and if you're anywhere near Ghent between now and Sunday 26 July, this is the moment to come by.

A bit of context for anyone who hasn't been: it's ten days of essentially non-stop street theatre, live music, folk parades, dance, food and drink across pretty much every square in the historic centre.

The first edition was in 1843, the modern version dates from 1969, and it's now recognised as Flemish intangible heritage. The vast majority of it is free. Cars are out of the centre from 13:00 daily, so you can walk, cycle or take public transport.

The big red-curtained space in one of the photos is Emile Braunplein under the Stadshal, Ghent's wooden "city pavilion", which every year during the Feesten gets taken over by the Mardi Gras Festival. It runs all ten days, from lunchtime until 02:30, with live bands, DJs, cabaret and a New Orleans-themed party atmosphere. Free entry, no tickets, and one of the more visually cool things happening in Ghent right now.

The oversized figures you can see on the fourth photo near the station are reuzen, traditional Belgian folk giants, carried through the streets by their bearers. It's a centuries-old tradition, and Gentse Feesten is one of the biggest occasions of the year when they come out: the festival has its own Reuzenstoet (giants' parade), alongside the Feeststoet and the Stoet van de Verbroederingen, with reuzen "families" from Ghent and visiting towns joining in. If you catch a group of them assembling, stop and watch — it's a bit of quiet cultural continuity in the middle of the noise.

Beyond that, every square has its own vibe and its own programming, refreshed daily throughout the festival. Sint-Baafsplein and Korenmarkt are the biggest and busiest, with the main stages that pull in tribute bands, folk, jazz and pop acts every evening.

Bij Sint-Jacobs and Vlasmarkt are the more anarchic, late-night ones.

I felt like there were less people then the previous year, but then quickly realised I was mistaken, since the larger part of the crowd comes at around 21:00.

I also think that the busiest day during the festival has passed. It was probably Monday, since Tuesday was a public holiday providing a good opportunity to dedicate the whole night to Gentse Feesten.

Practical details for the final weekend (25–26 July):

- Sunday 26 July is the closing day

- Free entry to almost everything (nof food and drinks, of course)

- Food and drink stalls take card and cash

- If you have your own glass, you can bring it to avoid paying deposit

- Weekend train tickets to Ghent are 30% off with NMBS

- De Lijn runs the GF night tram every 15 minutes all night, plus extra night buses back out to the wider region

- Full programme: gentsefeesten.stad.gent

If you have pictures from different squares of this year's festival, share them here!

Two anniversaries, one funfair, one closing party in Ghent. Europe's biggest open-air agricultural fair turns 100, a free four-day world music festival celebrates its 50th edition, and Bruges quietly reinvents itself as a contemporary circus town for three days.

📣 Heads up

- Foire de Libramont runs Fri–Mon and expects around 200,000 visitors, and note SNCB is celebrating its own 100th anniversary this year with a discount code included with every visitor ticket to sweeten the train trip.

- Rail: OUIGO trains Brussels-Paris are diverted via Nivelles and Maubeuge on Sat 25 and Sun 26 July (longer journey, no Mons stop). ICE / Nightjet Brussels-Germany run a diverted route between Leuven and Liège through 5 August.

⭐ Weekend highlight

Foire de Libramont – centenary edition (Libramont-Chevigny, Fri 24 – Mon 27 July, 9:00–18:30).

Europe's largest open-air agricultural, forestry, and food fair marks 100 years of Libramont Coopéralia, the farmer-founded cooperative behind it, under the theme "Cultive ton flow." Expect 700 exhibitors across 30 hectares, 2,800 animals, the 72nd edition of the Jumping (Sunday's Grand Prix is the sport highlight), the Mecanic Show with 19 farming-tech world premieres, hundreds of Ardenne producers on the Sentier des Saveurs and the En terre bio tent, and a horse spectacle "L'Ardennais en lumière" on Sunday afternoon at 14:30 celebrating the Ardennes draft horse — the breed the cooperative was born from in 1926. Authentic slice of rural Belgium most visitors never see.

Tickets: €20 in advance (until 27 July), €5 for kids 6–12, €14 for students 13–25 (buy-one-get-one on IDs). Train hourly from Brussels-Midi. Free TEC shuttles every 10 min from Libramont station to the fairground.

🏛️ Brussels

- Foire du Midi (Boulevard du Midi, daily 14:00–00:00, weekends until 01:00, free entry): Brussels' funfair — running since 1880 — is in full swing along a full kilometre of the inner ring between Porte de Hal and Porte d'Anderlecht. 130 attractions, from vintage carousels to modern coasters, plus caricoles, smoutebollen and mountains of frites. Belgian-French funfair culture is on the UNESCO intangible heritage list. Runs through Sunday 23 August.

- Back to Pompeii (Tour & Taxis, closing Sunday 26 July): Last weekend for Tempora's 1,500 m² immersive reconstruction of Pompeii before Vesuvius.

🦁 Flanders

- Sfinks Mixed (Boechout, near Antwerp, Thu 23 – Sun 26 July, 16:00–00:00 daily, 50th edition, free): A four-day world music festival on the meadows of Molenveld, celebrating a full half-century. Artists from every corner of the globe, a colourful world market, parades, DJ sets, and a dedicated Kidz Village. Boechout train station is a 10-min walk from the site.

- Cirque Plus (Bruges, Fri 24 – Sun 26 July, mostly free): Three days of contemporary circus in the garden of the Grootseminarie (entrance via Peterseliestraat). 18 companies from 7 countries, 56 performances across 14 stages, gates open at 13:00 and shows from 14:00. A few evening tent shows are ticketed (€11–15); everything in the garden is free.

- Gentse Feesten (Ghent, final weekend – closes Sunday 26 July): Ghent's ten-day city takeover wraps up this weekend after well over a million visitors. Free music on every square, street theatre, the Puppet Buskers festival on Bij Sint-Jacobs, and Miramiro's open-air circus in the Bijloke park. If you've never been, catch it in its dying hours — Sunday night has a particular melancholy magic.

- Beleuvenissen (Leuven, Friday 24 July from 20:00, free): Free open-air concerts across four squares in the city centre. Oude Markt hosts Kaat Van Stralen, The Sheila Divine and The Scabs; Grote Markt has Ilse Liebens; Vismarkt turns into Club Vismarkt after midnight. Part of the wider Het Groot Verlof programme running until early August.

🐓 Wallonia

- Foire de Libramont — see weekend highlight above.

- Fête de l'écluse (Rivière, Profondeville, Sunday 26 July, free): The village on the Meuse between Namur and Dinant throws its annual lockside festival on the last Sunday of July. Two kilometres of brocante along the riverbank with 200+ stalls, a craft market, a musical fun-run, live concerts, and the day's genuinely spectacular finale: the Waterjump — competitors launch themselves off a ramp on a bicycle straight into the Meuse. Visit Wallonia calls it the first of its kind in Europe. Day ends with a lampion ball into the night. Free shuttle buses from Profondeville church, Lustin station and the Annevoie roundabout from 10:30 to 22:00.

🌿 Nature tip

Peak-summer city heat? Head into the Forêt de Soignes / Zoniënwoud — the 4,400-hectare ancient beech forest that stretches across all three regions on Brussels' southern edge. Its old-growth beech stands are part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of Europe. The Groenendaal arboretum is the classic entry point — Groenendaal station is on line S8 direct from Brussels-Central.

📷 And to keep weekend post traditions alive, here is the picture to guess the location.

Any hidden weekend gems missed, include them in the comments.

Contemplations – Les 4 Saisons is a projection mapping show on the façade of Bayeux Cathedral. Illustrations by Alain Thomas, produced by Spectaculaires (Allumeurs d'Images). It's a vivid four-seasons journey — lush jungle-like flora, birds, and characters mapped over the Gothic architecture. Really beautiful, and the way it wraps around the whole west front and side of the cathedral means you can walk around during the show and see it from different angles.

It's on during 14 July-29 August 2026, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Start time is officially "from nightfall to midnight." In practice right now (mid/late July) it doesn't actually start until around 11 PM because it needs to be properly dark. It should start a bit earlier as the season goes on and nightfall comes sooner. The show itself is only about 10 minutes long and loops, so you can catch it more than once if you want.

It's completely free.

People start gathering around 10 PM, but there's plenty of space around the cathedral and multiple viewing angles, so you don't need to camp out.

It can get cold, so I would advise bringing a hoodie or a blanket. I saw someone brought a blanket to put on the grass and also a blanket to cover themselves, very creative and comfy.

More info: bayeux-bessin-tourisme.com

Belgium is quietly one of Europe's strangest countries when it comes to public sculpture. We all know Manneken Pis. But we also have chubby bronze figures climbing up walls in alleys, noses stuck on facades, monuments to fictional dogs, giant vegetables, and dozens of oddities no guidebook will ever mention.

Time to hunt them down.

The challenge: post a photo of the weirdest, strangest, or most unexpected statue or monument you've stumbled upon in Belgium. The odder the better.

How to enter:

- Post your photo as a top-level comment on this thread

- Tell us where it is and, if you know, what it's supposed to be (or your best guess)

- One entry per user — pick your best find

A few ground rules:

- Original photos only

- No Manneken Pis, Jeanneke Pis, or Het Zinneke. They've had their moment.

- Nothing political or commemorative in a political sense

- Keep it family-friendly

How the winner is picked:

Community upvotes decide. Voting runs for until Thursday 30 July. Whoever's entry has the most upvotes at that point takes it.

The prize: a shiny new 🗿 Weird Belgium Legend user flair, and permanent bragging rights as the person who found Belgium's strangest statue.

Bring on the weird. Wallonia, Flanders, Brussels, the German-speaking corner, we want to see something from everywhere!

Dedicated to Caen's professional handball team, Les Vikings

The Montagne de Bueren isn't actually a mountain. It's a 374-step staircase carved straight up the hillside in Liège, with a 30% incline steep enough to leave you winded in both directions.

The stairs were built between 1875 and 1880 as a direct route between the Citadel garrison and the city centre, bypassing the narrow alleys of the lower town. They're named after Vincent de Bueren, the 15th-century commander who led 600 men of Franchimont in a doomed night raid against Charles the Bold on 29–30 October 1468. A small blue plaque near the base commemorates the story.

The staircase cuts straight up between rows of houses. Those are real homes, real residents on both sides. That's why you'll see chalk messages on the steps in several languages politely asking you not to shout on the way up. Be a good guest and keep it down.

The climb takes 10–20 minutes depending on fitness, and there are landings where you can catch your breath. At the top, the panorama opens out over the Meuse, the rooftops of the old town, and the hills beyond.

Behind the staircase is the Coteaux de la Citadelle — a network of terraced gardens, orchards, footpaths and stairways spread across the hillside. You can wind your way back down through the greenery instead of retracing your steps, and it turns a 30-minute photo stop into a proper half-day walk.

Practical info

- Address: Montagne de Bueren, 4000 Liège

- Cost: Free, open 24/7

- By train: Liège-Palais (~10 min walk) is closest. Liège-Guillemins, the main intercity hub, is 30–45 min on foot

- By tram: The T1 line connects Guillemins directly to the centre.

- Wear proper shoes, cobblestones at the base, stone steps above

- Best light: late afternoon, looking back toward the city

Three events worth timing a visit around:

- Nocturne des Coteaux de la Citadelle (first Saturday of October) — the staircase and surrounding hillside are lined with thousands of candles after dark. One of the most atmospheric nights in Belgium.

- Bueren en Fleurs — the staircase gets decorated with flowers along its full length. Usually late spring/early summer.

- BueRun — a local running event where participants climb the stairs three times in a row. 1,122 steps, 8.7 km.

Belgium's biggest civic celebration lands on Tuesday, and Ghent kicks off its ten-day city takeover on Friday. This is the busiest weekend of the summer.

📣 Heads up

- Tuesday 21 July is a public holiday (Belgian National Day / Fête Nationale / Nationale Feestdag). Banks, post offices and most shops will be closed; museums, restaurants and tourist attractions mostly stay open.

- Brussels transport 21 July: Parc metro station is closed all day. Use Louise (best for the Fête au Parc via Place Poelaert), Botanique, Arts-Loi or Gare Centrale. Roads around Poelaert, Place Royale, the Sablon, Parc de Bruxelles and the cathedral shut for the day; the Schuman roundabout and Cinquantenaire tunnels close in the evening for the concert and fireworks. STIB is running extended service until 1:00. Because of Schuman roadworks, this year's parade route avoids rue de la Loi — the King reviews the troops on boulevard du Jardin Botanique and rue Royale.

⭐ Weekend highlight: Belgian National Day (21 July)

The full free programme in central Brussels:

- Mon 20 July, 19:00–01:00 — Bal National at Place du Jeu de Balle in the Marolles. 23rd edition, free, tribute bands and a huge outdoor dancefloor that gathers around 15,000 people on the eve of the fête.

- Tue 21 July, 10:00–20:00 — Fête au Parc, running from Place de la Nation down to Place Poelaert, through the Parc de Bruxelles, Mont des Arts, the Sablon and rue de la Régence. Free family activities, folk parades, a National Sports Day for kids in the park, police/defence/civil safety villages, a European village, and open doors at the Chamber, Senate, Bozar, the MRBAB and the MIM.

- Tue 21 July, 16:00 — Military and civil parade from Place des Palais.

- Tue 21 July, from 21:00 — Free concert at the Cinquantenaire, then drone and laser show, then the national fireworks at 23:00.

📍 Central Brussels · All events free

🔗 2107.be, bruxelles.be/21juillet

🏛️ Brussels (beyond the parade)

- Bozar — Beauty Day (rue Ravenstein 23, Tue 21 July): Full day of free workshops (drawing, collage, portraits, colour analysis), a beauty market and open access to several exhibitions.

- Belgian Beer World — free entry for Belgians (Grand-Place, Tue 21 July): Belgium's flagship beer museum opens free of charge to Belgian residents (ID required) — regular entry is €19.50. Includes the Bruxella 1238 archaeological site. Tourists still pay standard price, but it's a normal open day.

🦁 Flanders

- Gentse Feesten — opening weekend (central Ghent, Fri 17 – Sun 26 July): One of Europe's largest urban festivals kicks off Friday evening and takes over more than ten squares for ten days — free music on the Korenmarkt, Vrijdagmarkt, Sint-Baafsplein and everywhere in between, plus street theatre, kids' animations, a giants exhibition at the Korenmarkt (Sat–Sun 14:00–18:00), and industrial-heritage tours at the Industriemuseum. Sat 18 and Sun 19 are the softer opening days before the pace really picks up midweek. Free.

- Kunstenfestival Watou — opening weekend (Watou, Poperinge, Wed 15 July – Sun 30 Aug, open Wed–Sun 10:00–18:00): One of the loveliest Flemish summer traditions — visual art and poetry taking over a tiny hop-country village on the French border. This year's edition, Gemene Wegen, brings 60+ artists and 25+ poets to Watou and Kasteel De Lovie. Ticketed (€20 early bird / €25 standard / €7 under 26 / free under 12), but the ticket is valid all summer and includes free Watou Live performances.

🐓 Wallonia

- Statues en Marche (Marche-en-Famenne, Sat 18 – Sun 19 July): 9th edition of what its organisers call Europe's largest gathering of living statues — 100+ performers from around the world turning the town centre into a "frozen village" of surreal, funny and slightly unsettling characters. Free, family-friendly, ~40,000 visitors on average. Statue trail runs Saturday afternoon into evening and all day Sunday, with concerts and the prize-giving on Sunday evening at Place de la 7ème Brigade. Check the official site the day before for the final 2026 timings.

- National Day in Namur (Mon 20 – Tue 21 July): The country's second-biggest 21 July celebration. Free open-air Bal populaire on Place Maurice Servais from 18:00 on Mon 20 July, followed by a 15-minute fireworks display over the Meuse from the Pont des Ardennes at 23:00 (best views: Esplanade de la Confluence, the quays upstream of the bridge, or the Citadel). Tuesday: Te Deum at église Saint-Loup at 11:00, then a Gueuleton urbain (big open-air feast, fanfares, blind test, bouncy castles) on Place Maurice Servais until 20:00. Free.

- Grande Kermesse d'Arlon — closing weekend (Plaine des Manoeuvres, 11–21 July, open from 15:00 at weekends, 16:00 weekdays): Traditional 11-day funfair wraps up with low-noise closing fireworks on Mon 20 July at ~22:30. Free entry to the grounds.

🌸 Nature tip

With the crowds in Brussels and the heat forecast, the Forêt de Soignes is the antidote — 4,400 hectares of ancient beech forest right on the city's southern edge, UNESCO-listed as part of the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests world heritage site, and noticeably cooler than the boulevards.

📸 Time for a weekend tradition: guess the location on the photo.

If you know about any other good events or activities during the upcoming prolonged weekend, don't hesitate to share them in the comments.

Stumbled across this garden while travelling in the Belgian Ardennes.

The Parc des Topiaires in Durbuy holds about 250 sculpted trees and shrubs. The oldest specimens are over 120 years old, and the standout piece is a 4-metre elephant shaped from an 80-year-old box tree.

What I found interesting:

- Current shapes represent about 20 years of trimming on top of the base plant's age

- Gardeners do the weekly trim on Tuesdays (roughly April–October), those are open to watch

- The park is now maintained by a regional gardener after the original artist (Albert Navez) handed it over to the town

Photos are OC. Cross-posted the travel-facing version to r/BelgiumTravel if anyone's planning a trip through Wallonia