21 July national day: A vast carnival anchored in Belgian-ness

Police insist everyone should come and party and enjoy themselves on the 21 July national day celebrations in Brussels - just leave your backpacks at home.

It's coming on for 30 years since King Baudouin asked the Syndicat d'Initiative Bruxelles Promotion 1886 (SIBP) to organise a new and different national day. He felt that the standard military parade and fireworks was boring and didn't engage or involve the citizens.

SIBP (known for organising major Brussels events such as the 20k run), created events in the Royal Park and the Royal Quarter and over the years the celebrations have expanded so that we now have concerts, demonstrations, carousels, food tastings and athletic events as well as open houses at the federal parliament and museums and religious buildings, some of which are rarely accessible to the public.

For the past two years, 40 Belgian folkloric giants have paraded the length of the Rue de la Régence, a unique event since most of the time Belgian giants tend to make appearances singly or in duos or trios. In the park this year there will not only be the reconstruction of a second world war military camp by the 101st Airborne but also a war camp reconstruction by the Royal Museum of the Army.

A steam engine will provide rides for children. The army will put on its many interactive attractions: camouflage, F-15 cockpit visits, wall climbing, flight simulator and more. There will be a European Village on the Place Royale and concerts at the Sablon including October - the U2 cover band.

And, of course, from end to end of the event, there will be frites stands every couple of hundred feet. The day has become what the late king was hoping for, a vast carnival anchored in Belgian-ness. The military parade is at 16.00 and the fireworks is at 23.00.

The night before

But there's more. The national day now starts the evening of the 20 July with the national ball. This event started in 2003 to celebrate King Albert II's 10 years on the throne and was originally planned as a single-year event, but proved so popular that it is still going strong 13 years later.

Taking place in the emotional heart of Brussels, the Marolles district, it is the epitome of Zwanze, the self-deprecating, ironic, swellhead puncturing, trilingual humour of plebian Brussels. You might not catch all the jokes but you can't help from being seduced and transported by the friendly enthusiasm.

It's a participatory evening for the audience with lots of back and forth from stage to spectators which was beautifully demonstrated three years ago when King Albert's last official outing as king was an appearance at the national ball during which, at one point, the crowd spontaneously began chanting: "Merci Albert, merci Albert, merci Albert merci!"

15,000 people gather to drink beer, eat a wide variety of street food (not only do the cafés lining the square serve their regular fare, they also set up BBQs with food from all over the world) and enjoy the nostalgia of acts from the past and more.

It all starts with Unik Party, a dance group that choreographs the crowd into a big dance number. Then there are various much beloved, very corny performers. A stand out this year is Filip Jordens doing his excellent homage to Jacques Brel. Finally, renowned DJ Daddy K takes us deep into the night.

In a nod to the new levels of security but with a determination not to choke the freewheeling atmosphere of the evening, access to the Place du Jeu de Balle will be limited to three points of entry and again, the authorities suggest not bringing backpacks so as not slow down the process.

Moules-frites

Another event, which is celebrating its fifth year, is the Resto National. Created by Visit Brussels as part of 2012's Brusselicious, this event captured people's hearts and is going strong. From 17.00 to 20.00 on the 21 July (perfectly positioned between the uptown activities including the military parade and the fireworks) the Place du Jeu de Balle is filled with long communal tables and everyone shares an iconic Belgian mussel and fries dinner while being entertained.

For the kids, Poopsy will present a wildly colourful programme, then a Marolles specialty Mignonettes & Mamygnonettes - a very multigenerational group of majorettes will do their thing, followed by Rita and the Martins' bal musette show. Then it's time for a giant karaoke (printed lyrics will be provided) with Bruxelles Zingt.

Then, almost everyone makes their way back up to enjoy the fireworks. Tip: access to the Place des Palais for fireworks viewing is often very crowded and difficult. An alternative is to go to the park on the Place du Trône which offers a complete but side view of the spectacle.