Following the application of Ukraine to join the EU, the Ukrainian Embassy asked Mini-Europe to reproduce monuments and scenes to thank and ask for greater support from Belgians and Europeans. As a result, mini versions of the Ukrainian independence column, the official exchange between Ursula von der Leyen and President Zelensky, a line of Ukrainian refugees and a Belgian aid convoy to Ukraine were all set up. Dramatic and moving, the edutainment set questions visitors about the situation of Ukraine and its inhabitants. - 26 July 2022 to 31 December 2023

Brussels has become the venue for the largest Indian festival in Western Europe: DIWALI BRUSSELS. In 2022, more than 17,000 people visited Brussels’ version of the mythical Indian festival of lights. It’s an authentic and epic journey to India in all its folkloric diversity. A whole day of dance, music, culture, fashion, workshops and, of course, taste, thanks to the numerous food stands that came to share the culinary marvels of the subcontinent. - 16 October 2022

Every year in March, the Brussels Art Nouveau & Art Deco (BANAD) Festival, organised by explore.brussels, highlights the Art Nouveau and Art Deco heritage of the Brussels-Capital Region. Guided tours (outdoors), family activities, school sessions, a vintage fair, careful thought given to PRM and most importantly, guided visits through fantastic Art Nouveau and Art Deco interiors that are usually closed to the public. - 12 to 27 March 2022

In 2022, for the 3rd year in a row, the VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) had the honour of welcoming its graduate students at the Grand-Place in Brussels. 1,950 graduates from no less than 79 different countries (Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, India, China, Peru, Thailand, Rwanda, USA, Japan, Dominican Republic, etc.), very much looked forward to the ceremony in 2022, all accompanied by their friends, family and relatives. The reception that followed the presentation was held at the beautiful Mont des Arts. - 10 to 12 October 2022

Kunstenfestivaldesarts is a festival devoted to contemporary theatre and dance, performance and visual arts. It takes place every year in about thirty different cultural venues and in public spaces in Brussels and accompanies established and emerging artists in the creation of daring pieces that are firmly anchored in our current world. It is international, as it invites artists from all over the world to bring us a great diversity of practices and different points of view. It’s also from Brussels, reflecting the identity and diversity of the city and encouraging mobility among audiences. - 7 to 28 May 2022

In 2022, the 100th birthday of Toots Thielemans was celebrated with Toots 100. The Sound of a Belgian Legend. KBR and the MIM joined forces to create this unique sound exhibition featuring the collections of both institutions. Visitors were immersed in a musical atmosphere and learned more about the life and musical career of Brussels hero Toots. An exploration made possible through sound and video clips, an interactive quiz, an audio session in a beautiful setting and the opportunity to play with this world famous ketje themselves. - 22 April to 31 August 2022

Launched by non-profit Beer Idiots, the third Belgium Beer Week took place in 2022 and featured bars, brewers and beer museums from Brussels, around Belgium and the UK, Germany, Austria, Poland, Brazil, South Korea, Hong Kong, China, Italy and others. The project is a co-creation - bars and organisers create events featuring Belgian beer and culture during the week while Beer Idiots promote it before and during Belgium Beer Week. - 22 to 28 August 2022

The first edition of In.out.sider was held in October 2022 in LaVallée. In association with Urban Boat (France) and the Krakke Festival (Berlin), this free festival questions the topic of disability within artistic practices through a rich musical programme, an exhibition of raw art, conferences and workshops. In.out.sider hopes to increase the visibility of artists with disabilities in current cultural programming. - 12 to 16 October 2022

Every year, No Way Back organises Detours, an urban festival that hosts dance creations, battles, performances and street art. To accomplish its mission of bringing the street into theatres, No Way Back has created the Urban Dance Caravan with the National Theatre: dancers from Belgium, Casablanca and Goma perform on temporary stages like stations, right in the heart of Brussels. The public is then invited to the main stage of the National Theatre for the final battle of the Detours Cyphers. - 2 July to 28 September 2022

Perched on the roof of Bozar, Solar pays homage to the original plans of Victor Horta, whose wish was always to make the flat roof of the Centre for Fine Arts accessible to the public. This perched garden opened in 2022 and promises to be a haven right in the heart of the city: a sparkling winelist, a breathtaking view of Brussels, an unmissable historical venue and a custom layout, designed by Les Organisateurs. - 15 April to 30 September 2022

UP - Circus & Performing Arts is the new name of the Espace Catastrophe, now installed on the LionCity site in Molenbeek. UP is a centre for the creation of Belgian and international circus, and for a contemporary repertoire. Up is somewhere where everything is possible, that is open to all, where you can come to "see", "do" and "exchange", and where you can also allow yourself to "dare". Spring 2022 also saw the joyous return of UP FESTIVAL (Best International Event 2019 awards), the International Circus Biennial, which took place over a 13-day programme. - All year 2022

Installed where the Skieven Architek restaurant used to be, Mazette is a cooperative that brings back meaning to the term "Brussels brewery". On the menu: beer brewed in-house, seasonal cuisine that enhances the sourdough breads kneaded and baked on the premises, as well as a series of non-alcoholic beverages also made within the four walls. All of this is topped off with warm service in a friendly place that’s open to all. The selection of raw materials according to a precise policy and the home-made production of the products guarantee quality and autonomy of action. - From 17 March 2022

Queering Brussels was a collective exhibition aimed at the public that was held at the Halles Saint-Géry. Its mission was to highlight experiences and reflections related to LGBTQIA+ identities in constructed societies. The subjects of the exhibition are directly related to the relationships of domination in our society such as gender, sexuality and sex - and how these elements can shape our relationship to the city. Queering Brussels focused on an analysis of the city, in three languages: English, French and Dutch. It was a pioneer project in our country. - 10 September to 21 November 2022

StrEat Fest was an audacious street food festival that brought together chefs and other artisans of taste for a delicious weekend. The first event took place in 2022 at Tour & Taxis and blended food, art, culture, sports and music. The challenge for gourmet chefs is to come and try their hand at street food. Combining these unique culinary discoveries with other sectors (concerts, street performances, workshops, markets, etc.) enriched the visitor's experience and gave the event a truly innovative dimension. - 12 to 15 May 2022

To mark the opening of the 2022 season, Bozar gave a new and attractive dimension to its ticketing system and whetted the curiosity and cultural appetite of the public. Tickets were available via a new distribution network consisting of a vending machine in the Grand Hospice garden and an exclusive delivery service via the Deliveroo platform. During this period, people could buy duo tickets for concerts, exhibitions and conferences, packaged in collectors' boxes specially produced for the occasion. - 22 September to 7 October 2022

SING! was an interactive concert in which children from Brussels were able to play percussion with their bodies, make their voices heard and sing in several different languages in the Henry Le Bœuf Hall at Bozar. On stage, the National Orchestra of Belgium played well-known melodies of symphonic music. The whole thing was livestreamed to residents of nursing homes and residential care centres in Brussels and Flanders. In order to get the residents in shape for the concert, the CFC organised a sitting gym session and singing workshop beforehand. - 8 March 2022

Along with its handy booklet, the "An inclusive look at the 16th century" tour provides a critical and inclusive view of emblematic works of art from the collections of the Erasmus House, in light of current issues. When perspectives are opened up, numerous stories come to light! Visitors explore the different rooms in search of the works of art concerned, with the help of the booklet, and then scan them using the "Artivive" app installed on their smartphone or on a tablet they can use. The works of art then come to life directly on the screen. - From 6 February 2022

The Heritage Days audiences were welcomed to the VirtualPalace, Rue Royale, set up in the former Gaumont building, a historic mansion restored to its original 1860's condition. Every half hour, 25 spectators donned a virtual reality headset to experience Kinshasa Now, a film by Marc-Henri Wajnberg. It tells the story of Mika, a young boy accused of witchcraft who takes control of his own destiny. The rest of the audience who wandered around the hotel were able to watch excerpts from Kinshasa Kids and I am Chance, by the same director, thus discovering the Kinshasa trilogy. - 10 September 2022

30 years on, the comic book trail now sees each of its 69 murals equipped with QR codes providing further information. These notes provide information on the artists who worked on the comic strip concerned, as well as on the characters, heroes or heroines, present on the mural. The consortium also identified stereotypical representations on the murals or in the comic they were taken from, in order to better decipher them. This is a way to revitalise and recontextualise one of capital’s great artistic attractions. - All year 2022

Since 2020, Coddy has been organising urban adventures to discover Brussels while having fun, by means of puzzles that encourage users to observe their environment. In 2022, Cody launched "Kids Explore: Brussels", an urban adventure in the city centre. Thanks to this game children can discover the city’s tourist attractions. They also launched "Peter Pan: The Lost Shadow", an urban adventure that takes place in Cinquantenaire Park, a new playground for Coddy. The games are available in French, Dutch, English and Italian. - From 1 November 2022

Cocktails, DJ sets, drag shows, exhibitions... The Agenda provides a variety of opportunities to promote the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies. The management of this new bar comes from the Cabaret Mademoiselle team. The Agenda is a desire for equality, safe parties and the deconstruction of cultural notions of gender; it is strategically located in the historic centre of Brussels, in the former DNA bar, with its large windows which open onto the street, showing that the capital of Europe is inclusive, welcoming and ready to party. - From 7 January 2022

Created by Fuse, XRDS is a Brussels electronic music festival, rooted in its community. XRDS stands out from the rest of the festival scene due to its location under the Anderlecht overpasses and by its edgy programming that showcases local talent, from up-and-coming to established artists. The festival attracts a highly diverse audience thanks to the special attention it pays to groups that are under represented in electronic music, such as women, visible minority artists, members of the LGBTQ+ community. - 3 & 4 September 2022

The Brussels By Night Federation represents, supports and promotes the Brussels nightlife sector. From clubs and community groups to nightclubs, arts centres, concert halls, labels and festivals, BBN works for a united, inclusive and committed nightlife industry. Its aim is to support and preserve the creative and festive nightlife industry while promoting respect and comfort for all audiences. It represents and defends the interests of the Brussels festival sector by organising recovery events and meetings between industry professionals. - All year 2022

Clubbing on a Sunday, a rare time slot in Belgium. Spirito is an unusual and iconic location in the capital with a passionate crowd and community, offering personal and musical discoveries. One Sunday a month, ON SUNDAY can be experienced as a true interlude, where time is suspended and which everyone is free to embrace in their own way. Whether you come for the love of music or just to end the weekend in style, ON SUNDAY always creates an atmosphere perfect for escapism... Dance first, think later! - 9 October 2022 to 9 April 2023

Listen is the first urban music festival in Brussels dedicated to alternative electronic music, born from a desire to drive local talent to the next level. In recent years, the festival has evolved into a 5-day takeover of the city, with DJ sets, concerts, discussions, workshops, exhibitions and more. Every year, many visitors from Belgium and abroad come to Listen to discover the complete musical spectrum. Listen continues to collaborate with the most exciting guardians of Brussels’ music scene. - 30 March to 3 April 2022