Nightlife

Brussels is not known for its nightlife, but that's partly because it's overshadowed by the worldwide reputations of neighboring capitals like Paris and Amsterdam. Nightlife is actually alive and well in Brussels, and if the range is inevitably thinner than in bigger cities, the quality is not.

Nighttime in Brussels can be just about anything you want it to be. Cocktail bars vary from the old, established, almost clubby type, to the avant-garde, to the bizarre; and there are also cafe theaters, regular theater in season (Sept-May), a traditional puppet theater, cafe cabarets, dinner shows, nightclubs, concerts, ballet, opera, and jazz clubs.

For current information on after-dark entertainment during your visit, consult the Brussels International Tourism office in the Town Hall, Grand-Place, Brussels (tel. 02/513-89-40), or buy the weekly English-language magazine the Bulletin, which has an extensive "What's On" section.

You can order tickets for performing-arts venues from the Central Booking Office (tel. 0800/21-221), open Monday to Friday from 9am to 7pm, Saturday from 10am to 7pm. The tourist office in the Town Hall on the Grand-Place can reserve concert/theater tickets for 1€ ($1.25).

Sound & Light

Be sure to take in the son-et-lumière on summer evenings on the Grand-Place. This sound-and-light show, in which a series of colored lamps on the Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall) are switched on and off in sequence to a piece of appropriately grand music, is admittedly kind of kitsch. But who cares? It's also magical.

Offbeat Brussels

It's no accident that René Magritte lived in Brussels. He sat at his easel in a business suit, painting comically unsettling pictures of pipes that aren't pipes and mirrors that reflect the back of someone's head. Forget the myth of Brussels's sobriety: Bruxellois are fun-loving people.

For some unconventional diversions, you can arrange to tour the sewers by calling tel. 02/513-8587, or play Russian roulette with falling arrows at vertical archery practice in Parc Josaphat (Schaerbeek) -- the archers gather at unpredictable times, though any sunny weekend afternoon in summer is a good bet. Otherwise, call the tourist office for possible dates.

More Special Events

July 21, National Day, is marked by various celebrations, including fireworks and a military parade past the Royal Palace; July 21 to August 20 brings the bustling Brussels Fair near Gare du Midi; on August 9 the Bruxellois celebrate the 1213 victory of Brussels over Leuven by planting a slightly misnamed Meiboom (Maytree) at the intersection of rue des Sables and rue du Marais, as bands and other activities celebrate the event.