Festivities to mark the Belgian national holiday begin on the evening of Sunday 20 July. An open-air Bal National is being staged. On the national day itself, 21 July, some 2,000 meals are being served during a ‘Resto National’. Here the focus is on mussels and fries.
Delphine Houba, Brussels alderman for Tourism and Major Events, and Frank Anthierens, creator and organiser of the Bal National, presented the programme of events for the forthcoming bank holiday.
On Sunday 20 July, the eve of the holiday, a Bal National is always a feature of the holiday in Brussels. On the Vossenplein in the popular quarter of the Marollen, the public is treated to a free event full of music, dance and humour. This year's programme includes Lou B., Slongs Dievanongs (pictured below), the Amazing Flowers and DJ Daddy K.
Slongs Dievanongs says it’s an honour to be part of this gig. ‘I'm a real chauvinist’ she says. ‘I love all of Belgium, so I'm going to do everything I can to turn it into a big party. Flemish people are definitely going to be able to sing along. In the rest of Belgium, I might not be as famous, but everyone knows the language of smiles.'
Mussels and meatballs
On the bank holiday itself, Monday 21 July, a whole day of free activities will take place between the Warande Park and the Poelaertplein in Brussels. Resto National, a huge gastronomic feast featuring a portion of mussels with fries or meatballs in tomato sauce, starts at 5pm on the Vossenplein in the capital. The organisation is serving 2,000 meals. People on low income can participate in the feast for a symbolic 1 euro.