august-2011

home to the Manneken Pis, bande Mo More ore Eurocra Eurocrat urocrat than
Eurotrash,
dessinée (comics) and European
Brussels-on-Sea (until August 7, free,
puppetry, Brussels is a major draw for bruxelleslesbains.be) was launched in
kids. Step forward Kidsgazette
2003 as a partnership between Paris
(download free at kidsgazette.be), a Plage creator Bertrand Delanoë and his
trilingual quarterly helping young Brussels’ counterpart. Transforming the
Bruxellois and their parents get to grips industrial Willebroek Canal into the
with the city’s whimsical spirit.
airy “La Croisetteke”, the oasis off ers
“My idea was to create a cultural and parents mojitos and massages, with a
leisure agenda for kids and families paddling pool and children’s activities
that’s practical, pretty and fun,” on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
explains founder Carole Souville, a A decade on, the mighty Brussels
French-speaking mother of two. Handy Summer Festival (August 12-21,
listings include workshops from Bozar’s €20-€30, one under 10 free per family)
contemporary art sessions (August 1-5, animates the city’s grandest spaces,
8-12, 22-26; 6-12 years, €105) to with De la Soul and Jamie Cullum
sunfl ower-growing sessions and games among the performers. Fittingly, since
engaging with Europe and biodiversity. the poster bears a guitar-strumming
ON THE
RADAR
Boterhammen in
het Park
Flemish music and
kids’ animation
festival. August
22-26, free,
boterhammeni-
66 metropolitan
nhetpark.be
Musique fl amande
et animations
pour occuper les
enfants durant la
dernière semaine
des vacances.
23-27 août, gratuit,
boterhammeninhetpark.be
Puppets in the Park
Shows featuring
Guignol’s Belgian
cousin Guignolet.
From August 18-
21, the Théâtres
Nomades festival
joins in with
marquees, street
artists and shows
in Dutch. Until
September 18, free,
guignoletdansleparc.be
Suivez les aventures
du cousin belge de
Guignol, Guignolet.
Du 18 au 21 août, les
Théâtres Nomades
proposent chapiteaux,
artistes de
Manneken Pis, street theatre and
children’s events join the line-up this
year (bsf-brusselssummerfestival.be).
The Foire du Midi (until August 21,
foiredumidi.be) is a children’s
wonderland that dates back to the 1880s.
Kids will be dazzled by carousels,
shooting games and ghost trains, with
Belgian specialities from waffl es to
smoutebollen (spherical doughnuts) best
reserved for dessert. On August 3, 20 and
21, there are 20%-40% discounts on rides.
For more modern fun, famous
amusement park Walibi Belgium
(€17-€31, under 2s free, walibi.be) has
just had a huge makeover (nearby
Aqualibi waterpark has also just had a
€11 million investment).
rue et spectacles en
néerlandais. Jusqu’au
18 septembre, gratuit,
guignoletdansleparc.be
Natural Science
Museum
Dinosaur exhibit,
BiodiverCITY gallery
and a Where is Max?
booklet (free, 6-12s)
seeking a hidden fox
in the museum,
sciencesnaturelles.be
Grande exposition sur
les dinosaures, plus
galerie BiodiverCITY
et brochure Où est
Max ? (gratuit, 6-12
ans), à la recherche