Friday 21 July is the Belgian National Holiday, marking the anniversary of the day Leopold I, the first King of Belgians, swore his allegiance to the Belgian constitution. It is a day packed with events and celebrations. This year’s National Holiday is entirely devoted to King Filip’s decade on the throne. The parade had something special to offer for King Filip and Queen Mathilde.
An emotional day for the king and queen as National Holiday celebrates King Filip’s decade on the throne
The schedule in a nutshell
Te Deum mass is celebrated at Brussels Cathedral in the morning. There’s a military and civil march-past in Brussels in the afternoon and in the evening a concert in the Jubelpark followed by fireworks.
Te Deum
Contrary to previous years, the retired King Albert and his wife Queen Paola attended the mass. It's the first time in 10 years - since Albert stepped down - that they were there, to celebrate their son's 10 years on the throne.
King Filip's sons Gabriel and Emmanuel helped their grandparents to climb the stairs leading to the cathedral's entrance. The help was more than welcome; a weakened Albert only left hospital two weeks ago after battling dehydration. The whole family had a photo taken on the stairs.
Princess Elisabeth and Prince Gabriel in the parade
The military march-past included two of King Filip’s children. Prince Gabriel has completed his first year at the Royal Military Academy in Brussels. He marched with his fellow students. Princess Elisabeth also studied at the academy and joined students from her year. The presence of two of their children made it an emotional day for King Filip and Queen Mathilde.
In total, about 1,300 people participated in the march-past.
Ten F-16 fighter jets
Ten F-16 fighter jets flew over the Paleizenplein in formation during the fly-past. Their number refers to the ten-year reign of Filip, King of Belgians.
Several other aircraft participated including a Dutch F-35. This is the successor to the F-16. In 2018 Belgium ordered 34 of these American aircraft. The armed forces expect the delivery of the first Belgian F-35 to take place by the end of this year.
Highest aerial ladder truck
The emergency services were at the heart of the parade too. This year, the fire brigade displayed its new, longest ever aerial ladder truck.
The Brussels fire brigade purchased the truck to improve its ability to tackle fires in tall buildings. The ladder can be extended up to 64 metres, making it the longest in Europe. It allows the fire brigade to reach the 16th floor.
Police on bikes
Cycling policemen get extra attention during the National Holiday. A number of policemen on bicycles also participated in the parade. "With more police officers on bicycles, we are aiming for a more approachable and also more agile police force," Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden says.
On the occasion of the National Holiday the Federal Parliament is staging an open day from 11 am to 7 pm. The general public can visit the House of Representatives and the Senate. New busts representing the Belgian sovereigns recently inaugurated to mark ten years of King Filip’s reign go on show.
Of special attraction this year is the throne King Filip used when he swore allegiance to the constitution. It is displayed in the conference room of the Chamber of Representatives with an accompanying mini-exhibition.
Happy Belgium!
A free concert starts in the Jubelpark at 9 p.m. Several Belgian artists perform to celebrate the National Holiday and King Philippe's ten-year reign. The king and queen will attend together with Prince Laurent and Princess Claire, Princess Delphine and her husband James O'Hare. The event is broadcast on VRT1 TV.
Last year, 60,000 people attended the concert. An even larger crowd is expected this year. Ozark Henry, Mentissa, Gustaph, Colt, Paul Michiels, Rori, Axelle Red, Daan, Amber Broos, Loïc Nottet, Camille and Hamza will perform together with an orchestra.
A multimedia show, combining spectacular light and laser effects and fireworks, will close the party.
Throughout the day, the intervening years and the challenges Belgium has faced will be the focus of events.
"There were the floods, the corona crisis, the attacks on Brussels Airport and Maalbeek metro station as well as the war in Ukraine," said interior minister Annelies Verlinden (Flemish Christian democrat) earlier this week. "Our king has always played a connecting role. This we would like to celebrate and recognise and show appreciation to all our security forces, who did their best to protect our inhabitants during all these crises."