july-2012

BRUSSELS
BELGIUM Population 10,438,353 Dialling code +32 Currency Euro Average temp. (Jul-Aug) 17ºC
Summer in the city
The annual Brussels Summer Festival
(infofestival.be) is billed as “10 days of
music and much more” – and they’re
not kidding. From 10-19 August,
tourist spots across the city centre will
be transformed into concert venues,
open-air cinemas, an urban barbecue
and an outdoor bar. There will be
music from The Stranglers and Iggy
and the Stooges – no introduction
needed – plus, among others, local
favourites Willow and BaliMurphy and
France’s Pony Pony Run Run and sultry
chanteuse Claire Denamur. And that’s
just the start. Ticket-holders also get
free entry to movie screenings at
Cinematek throughout the festival,
while top chefs will be creating
mouth-watering tapas on the Mont des
Arts, where you can enjoy a view of the
historic city centre as you tuck in.
Short films and animations will be
screened around town and there’s free
entry to many of Brussels’ best
museums, including BOZAR, the
Musical Instrument Museum and
Coudenberg Palace. Not to be missed.
Life’s a beach
Brussels may be a couple of hours
from the coast, but Brusselaars don’t
let that get in the way of a good oldfashioned
summer’s day at the beach.
Bruxelles-les-Bains (blb-bb.be) brings
the beach to the city for a few weeks
each year, turning the urban quayside
into a summer playground. You might
not be able to count on the sun, but
you can rely on plenty of fun. Expect
activities for all the family: workout
classes, tea dances, games of boules,
beach rugby and volleyball, creative
workshops for kids, circus skills, face-
painting, gourmet food stalls, icecreams,
cocktail bars and plenty of live
bands and DJs until long after the sun
has gone down. Or, of course, you can
just lie back and soak up what rays the
Belgian summer may provide and watch
the world go by. Entry is free, and this
year it runs from 1 July to 7 August.
All that jazz
The leafy surroundings of the Théâtre
de Verdure (Green Theatre) provide the
backdrop for Brosella (brosella.be), an
annual celebration of jazz, folk and
rock that takes place in the instantly
recognisable shadow of Brussels’s
Atomium. On 14 and 15 July,
audiences can enjoy a series of
Bruxelles-les-Bains creates
an urban seaside every year
for revellers to enjoy
concerts by names both old and new,
from Belgium and beyond. The
Tunisian composer and oud player
Dhafer Youssef will play on the
Saturday, as will Hans Mortelmans, the
Belgian singer-songwriter, guitarist and
accordionist. The Oscar-winning
Brussels Jazz Orchestra and
Portuguese singer Maria João will
perform on the Sunday. Other
highlights will include Lighthouse, a
British jazz trio; the Belgian jazz
double bassist Hendrik Vanattenhoven;
and a special homage on the centenary
of folk legend Woody Guthrie’s birth. A
programme for children, featuring
workshops, theatre and music, also
runs throughout the festival.
way to go Trains from Brussels airport run every 15 minutes at peak times and the journey takes 25 minutes. Tickets cost €5.40
one way. Alternatively, the number 12 bus runs every 30 minutes between the airport and Rond-Point Schuman, and costs
€3.50 for a one-way ticket. A taxi from the airport to the city centre costs about €45 and the journey time is 25 minutes.
Brussels Airlines’ long-haul network inflight magazine BRINGING THE HEAT TO NYC
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L’été en ville
Chaque année, le Brussels Summer
Festival (infofestival.be) a pour devise
« 10 days of music and much more »
(Dix jours de musique et plus encore) –
et c’est loin d’être exagéré. Du 10 au
19 août, les hauts lieux du tourisme du
centre-ville se transforment en lieux
de concert, cinémas en plein air,
barbecue urbain et bars extérieurs. Au
programme, on pourra écouter de la
musique des Stranglers, d’Iggy et des
Stooges – on ne les présente plus –
ainsi que d’autres grandes pointures
locales, comme Willow, BaliMurphy,
France’s Pony Pony Run Run ou la
chanteuse voluptueuse Claire
Denamur. Et ceci n’est qu’un début. Si
vous êtes en possession d’un « pass »,
vous bénéficiez également d’un accès
gratuit aux séances de la Cinematek
durant la durée du festival. En outre,
de grands chefs concocteront de
succulentes tapas au Mont des Arts,
d’où l’on embrasse le centre historique
de la ville. Des courts-métrages et
des films d’animation seront projetés
un peu partout et l’entrée sera gratuite
dans la plupart des meilleurs musées
bruxellois, dont BOZAR, le Musée des
Instruments de Musique et le Palais du
Coudenberg. A ne pas manquer.
La vie à la plage
Bruxelles n’a beau être qu’à deux
heures à peine de la côte, cela
n’empêche pas les Brusseleirs de
passer l’été à la plage, dans la plus
pure tradition. Chaque année,
Bruxelles-les-Bains (blb-bb.be) leur
apporte la plage en ville, transformant
durant quelques semaines les quais en
une aire de jeu estivale. Il se pourrait
que le soleil ne soit pas de la partie,
mais vous pouvez compter sur une
bonne dose de bonne humeur. On y
trouve des activités pour toute la
famille : cours de gym, thés dansants,
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