Program National Day 2022
On the occasion of the National Day of 21 July, the FPS Chancellery of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Defence, the FPS Home Affairs, the federal and local police and the Association for the Promotion of Brussels are organising a lot of activities for the general public in Brussels. The National Day will be a great feast again this year with some new events as well.
Below you will find an overview of the activities that the federal government (co-)organizes:
20 July 2022
From 7 PM – Bal national – Vossenplein
The Bal national will take over the Vossenplein. The popular feast in the Marolles starts at 7 pm. with a dance initiation, followed by a series of free concerts. This year's lineup includes Lou and the Hollywood Bananas and The Amazing Flowers.
More info (fr - nl) on the website Balnational.be
8 PM – Concert prelude to the National Day – BOZAR – full – live television
This classical music concert is organised by the Queen Elisabeth International Competition, together with the Belgian National Orchestra and Bozar, thanks to the support of the FPS Chancellery of the Prime Minister and the National Lottery. The venue of the event is the magnificent Henry Le Boeuf Hall of the Centre for Fine Arts of Brussels, which acoustically ranks among the five best concert halls in the world. The King and Queen will attend the concert. This year the guest musician is US violinist Stella Chen, first laureate of the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2019 will be accompanied by the Belgian National Orchestra conducted by Antony Hermus.
This concert is full, but you can follow it live on television.
More info about the broadcast hours and channels on television (fr - nl)
More info (en) on the website of Bozar
21 July 2022
10 AM – Te Deum – St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral
The Te Deum of 21 July is celebrated in the presence of the King and Queen and the high officials in the St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral at 10 AM.
From 10 AM – Party in the park – Warandepark/Regentschapsstraat and surroundings
From 10 AM to 8.30 PM, there is a party going on between the Palace of Justice and the Palace of the Nation (Federal Parliament) and more specifically in rue de la Régence, on the Sablon, on the Place Royale, on the Place Poelaert, on the Coudenberg and in the Parc de Bruxelles. The program includes a lot of free, playful and folkloric animations. Museums and churches are open to the public in that area. In the Warandepark and on the Sablon, music will resound throughout the day. The FPS Home Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, the federal and local police, the European institutions and various federal public services will once again be present. You can find them here:
Police village - Place Poelaert
Defence - Koningsplein, Coudenberg and Regentschapsstraat
Safety village FPS Home Affairs - Sablon
B-Fast, Red Cross, BPS, SIAMU, Customs - Rue de la Régence
More info and a map (fr - nl) can be found on the website 2107.be
4 PM – Military and civil parade
The traditional military and civil parade will take place from 4 PM on the Place des Palais. This year, many committed citizens have been invited to attend this parade, such as a number of Be-Heroes, but also citizens and volunteers of the Red Cross who have worked selflessly during the floods, students, members of the platform for civil service ... It is these people who go the extra mile for society and are therefore a greater example than they probably realize.
All information about the parade (fr - nl)
National apero
A new initiative in 2022 is the National Apero. It offers cafes and bars all over the country the opportunity to organize a party and let the people there together attend the concert in the Cinquantenaire Park (see below) on screen.
You can recognize the participating cafés and bars by their poster of the National Apero.
9 PM – Concert at the Cinquantenaire Park
A new event this year is the free concert in the Cinquantenaire park with numerous Belgian artists including Adamo, Niels Destadsbader, Coely and Alice on the roof. In the park, food trucks and bars will delight concertgoers. The concert will be broadcast on national TV. Access to the Cinquantenaire Park is only possible via the three entrances on the avenue de la Joyeuse Entrée. This concert is organized by the FPS Chancellery of the Prime Minister.
More info (fr - nl) on the website Belgium.be
Cinquantenaire Park Map (fr - nl)
11 PM – Fireworks – Cinquantenaire Park
To end this holiday, SIBP (en) (the Association for the Promotion of Brussels) organizes a grand musical fireworks display, from the esplanade of the Cinquantenaire Park.
The website https://2107.be (fr - nl) provides more information: the party program in detail (activities, parade), a plan of the party zone, a plan of the Cinquantenaire Park, the artists of the concert, mobility info, a presentation of the organizing partners and photos and videos.