Brussels in English

Brussels' Salon du Chocolat will be back for its sixth year at Tour and Taxis from 22-24 February. The weekend will be full of everything from demonstrations and workshops to chocolate pairings and a fashion show. We talked to Patricia Raes to find out the delicious details.  

Bruxsel'Air is a citizen movement to combat air pollution in Brussels. They’ve just launched a new campaign for cleaner air. It’s called Air Seekers and is meant to put pressure on politicians to take action against air pollution. We caught up with the group's vice-president to find out more.

It’s a complaint often heard in Flanders: No one in Brussels speaks Dutch. It’s not only seen by the Flemish as disrespectful, it can be a factor in deciding whether they want to live in their own capital city.  But things in Brussels are changing, according to the Brussels chapter of Huis van het Nederlands, which assists people in learning the language. Lisa Bradshaw, editor-in-chief of Flanders...

English Comedy Brussels has been bringing English-speaking comedians to Brussels at the Black Sheep since 2011. They’re now expanding their shows to a second venue, CaliClub in Drogenbos. Their first show there will take place on 6 February. We caught up with organiser Xavier Rossey to find out more.

Many people are familiar with the Locavore movement in which people make an effort to eat food that is grown, raised, or produced locally, usually within 100 miles of home. Now there is the Locawear or Slow Fashion movement - local designers use either local or at the very least organically produced fabrics or they upcycle to produce clothes that are sewn locally.  And locally in Belgium we have U...

January can be a tough time for many. But there are lots of organisations and experts who can help with a practical advice and a sympathetic ear. Today we hear from Luisa Mannu, a counsellor, grief support expert and a certified cognitive behavioural life coach. She found her first client via the Q&A page on The Bulletin’s website. www.therapy-and-coaching-brussels.com

Le Champignon de Bruxelles are producing tons of mushrooms in the cellars of the Anderlecht Abattoir and they're doing it in a new and uniquely Belgian way by using spent grain from Gueuze production. Hadrien Velge explains. www.lechampignondebruxelles.be

BRAFA, one of the top five art shows in Europe is back with its 64th edition. As the final construction takes place, Bruno Nélis, Head of Press and Communication tells us what has made the show so successful over the years and what we can expect in this new edition. www.brafa.art

An estimated 12,500 students - from both French and Dutch-speaking schools - skipped lessons on Thursday for the second week running for a major climate march in the centre of Brussels.

The English Comedy Club is performing its winter pantomime, a popular family tradition in Brussels expat community. It’s a new production of Robin Hood and the Babes in the Woods, in which the evil sheriff of Nottingham hatches a wicked plan to marry Maid Marian. But first he must get rid of the Babes – Maid Marian’s Belgian cousins. 18-20 January, Auderghem Cultural Centre, Boulevard du Souverain...

OA is a 12-step programme for those who have a complicated relationship with food; this includes compulsive overeating, binge eating, bulimia and anorexia. The English-speaking OA group in Brussels meets every Friday evening for readings, reflections and the chance to share experiences. Newcomers are always welcome. http://www.oa.org/worldwide-oa

We check in with Sébastian Morvan from Brussels Beer Project, who have big plans this year to build new premises in Anderlecht - and expand further internationally.

What's your New Year resolution? Artem Mozgovoy, a Russian journalist newly landed in Brussels, has set himself the challenge of living 100 days without a smartphone. He says he was startled by the "increasing effect smartphone culture is having on our surroundings and on myself personally". What has he learnt from the experiment so far - and has it changed how he discovers the city? We find out....

There's so much happening in Brussels between Christmas and New Year. So if you're staying in the city this festive period, you're in for a treat. Richard Harris has trawled all the agenda listings and here is his pick.

The world has seen an increase in the number of people fleeing their home country to find a safer place to raise their family and continue with their lives. And Brussels is no exception. Five years ago, Saeed left his family and friends in Damascus, Syria to continue his studies in Italy. After the situation back home worsened, he had to make the tough decision of whether to stay in Italy and seek...

European Schools in Brussels are failing to accommodate the needs of children with disabilities, according to a new report - with one mother describing the school's approach as "sink or swim". The study, by Human Rights Watch and the European Disability Forum, found that children with special needs were "rejected, pressured into changing schools, or not provided with appropriate support to allow t...

The Canal Zone is rapidly changing, with hundreds of projects big and small. One such small project got a boost by winning the 2018 Bruocsella Prize. The prize of €24,000, is awarded by Promethea, 24 businesses that award the prize annually to projects that contribute to urban renewal in Brussels. The winning project is La Licorne (the unicorn) a joint project of COOP and l’Atelier Marin. The proj...

For over 45 years, a small theatre in Saint-Josse - Brussels' poorest commune - has carried the fire of experimental theatre and community activism. Peggy Thomas, director of the Théâtre de la Vie, discusses her aim to make theatre accessible to all. http://www.theatredelavie.be/

The 2019 edition of the Brussels Cultural Guide has just come out - a must have resource for navigating the rich seas of events, festival and exhibitions swirling through Brussels. Editor Guy de Bellefroid tells us what's new this year. info@agenda.be Music by Mozinor 

A group of international students at Solvay Brussels School have launched a campaign calling for an improvement to how the Erasmus study programme is administered. The group's research found the majority of Erasmus students do not formally register as residents in their host country, making it difficult for them to go about their day-to-day lives and become integrated. Three of the group's members...

The new exhibition at ADAM is the first large scale overview of the relationship between design and club culture from the Sixties to today. The show presents objects and archival material in a dynamic way including a striking immersive space combining lighting and music. Co-curator Nina Serelus explains how club design blends fashion design, lighting, sound, interior design and architecture and th...

Schuman Lights Up is back, with a packed programme of festive events under a white tent with fairytale lighting. From 29 November to 8 December, various groups will be offering seasonal foods and activities. Marion Wolfers from organiser Schuman Square ASBL explains more. www.schumansquare.net

US expat Marieke Slovin Lewis moved to Brussels to accompany her husband who is studying the philosophy of technology at the VUB for his PhD. As someone with a varied career: she is classically trained on the piano, has a PhD in sustainability education and worked for ten years as a park ranger for the US National Park System, she wanted to take advantage of her sojourn in Belgium to use her talen...

While Armistice Day is always poignant in Belgium – home to so much of the Western Front – this year is extra special, with events across the country to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. Lisa Bradshaw from Flanders Today guides us through some of the main commemorations.

Isabelle de Borchgrave does extraordinary things with paper. And the most spectacular of those extraordinary things are her paper dresses. These are not the throwaway paper dresses of the Sixties, in fact they are not for wearing. Rather, they are sculptures, made from intricately hand painted paper, which is then cut as a dress maker would cut fabric and glued together. Her current exhibition, Af...