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What's on this week: 9-15 March

22:46 08/03/2018

The biennial Festival UP! opens the year of major circus festivals that Brussels is home to. The two-week festival takes place in Théatre Marni, Théatre National, MCCS, Jacques Franck Cultural Centre, under the big top in Victoria Park, Théatre Varia, Espace Delvaux, Bronks, Le 140, La Raffinerie, Halles de Schaerbeek and Wolubilis. The festivities are spearheaded by Espace Catastrophe which “fosters a creative multidisciplinary approach to the future of the circus,” which means amazing shows by a remarkable cross section of artists.
12-25 March

Meanwhile, discover the joys of tightrope-walking with free training sessions offered by the Centre Européen de Funambulisme.
Courses available Thursday 15 March 12.00-14.00 and from 16-18 March 14.00-16.00.

The 11th instalment of the annual St Patrick’s Day Festival returns to Parc du Cinquantenaire on Sunday. Voluntarily organised by Irish sports clubs Belgium Gaelic Athletic Association and FC Irlande, this annual feast promises to be another great celebration of Irish sports, games, activities, culture, music, food, drink and craic (Irish word for fun). With up to 2,000 people expected on the day, a full day of activities has been organised to keep children and adults eentertained
Parc du Cinquantenaire, 11 March

The twice-a-year exclusive flea market of the best in furniture design from the 1950s to the 1980s - known as Brussels Design Market - is back for its spring incarnation. About 100 exhibitors take part in this, Europe's largest vintage design market, at Tour & Taxis. There are two exhibition halls, one with proper booths, the other more of a jumble sale atmosphere, now with a vintage clothes section. Food available.
10-11 March, Tour & Taxis

The Klarafestival includes concerts, music theatre, multidisciplinary performances, operas, and much more. Unfortunately another hightlight, the Klarafestival Box, is fully booked. It claims to be the smallest concert hall in the world. We'll keep you posted if more slots become available.
9-30 March. Various locations in Antwerp, Brussels and Bruges

A Films Ouverts is a film festival in the context of the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination with feature films, shorts and various encounters.
9-24 March

BANAD, the Brussels Art Nouveau and Art Deco Festival , is back for three weekends in March. This year's theme is "the hidden treasures and focus of Victor Horta" with new additions to the list of visitable buildings such as the only Horta house in the Sablon, the Hôtel Frison. The programme includes a whole range of activities for discovering the wonders of these two architectural styles, not only visits to exceptional Art Nouveau and Art Déco interiors, but also guided tours on foot, by coach and by bike, concerts, exhibitions, cultural events and more.
10-11, 17-18 and 24-25 March

This weekend it’s Photo Days 18, the fourth incarnation of a show all about photography, video and image creation. You can watch professionals practice their art as well as get hands-on experience yourself at the many demos from studio shooting to on-the-street news reporting. Entry to Photo Days gets you into the concurrent Drone Days - with about 50 exhibitors, more than 250 conferences and meetings, this weekend full of flying will blow you away. Last year, more than 11,000 visitors test-flew the latest drones, learned about different regulations and watched professionals as they showed off their skills.
9-11 March, Brussels Expo

On Friday afternoon, spend a couple hours escaping the late winter watching a bright film/family road trip to five of the eight Hawaiian Islands. Discover the startling beauty of the most geographically isolated place in the world.
Jacques Franck Cultural Centre, 9 March, 14.00

Free at Bozar is the exhibition of the nominees and winners of the prestigious Henry van de Velde Awards for design for 2017. The awards celebrate the diversity, the necessity and the impact of design. The “best of design” can be a beautiful object, but also an installation or a structure that provides a solution.

Sunday is your last chance to see the Museum of the City of Brussels' exhibition on Charles Baudelaire, who spent two years in Brussels near the end of his life from 1864-1866. During this time, he experienced a period of resentment and misery, leading him to write an aggressive pamphlet against Belgium. Though this work was not published during his lifetime, the pamphlet titled Pauvre Belgique, or Poor Belgium, gives a unique perspective of what life was like in Brussels and reveals life through Baudelaire’s eyes.
Until 11 March, Museum of the City of Brussels

More than 100 national and international galleries return to Brussels with a stunning showcase of artwork at the Affordable Art Fair 2018. Not only can you pick out nice paintings for your wall, there will be installations that combine the audio and visual worlds, playing with shapes and textures. There will also be workshops where you can create your own personal collage of screenprints.
15-18 March, Tour & Taxis

The first cake design and pastry fair is coming to Belgium. At Cake and Sugar, more than 50 exhibitors will offer workshops and live demonstrations.
9-11 March, Brussels Expo

Written by Richard Harris, Molly Dove