The 10 Best Music Venues In Brussels
With Brussels being a hotbed of variety, its music scene was always meant to be a particularly vibrant one. While cultural temples Bozar and Flagey take care of the classically inclined, Le Botanique and Ancienne Belgique appeal with names of the domestic and internationally renowned. Promising indie artists are lifted up at VK and Recyclart, while experimentalists find a home at Les Ateliers Claus and Magasin 4.
1. Le Botanique
Bar
Le Botanique
Still the home of a beautiful botanical garden, Le Botanique was originally built to house the exotic plants of the Société Royale d’Horticulture, a small plant-collecting elite, and later became the National Botanic Garden. With the transformation into the Cultural Center for the French-speaking community in 1984 came one of the most vibrant concert hubs in Brussels. Besides exposition rooms and a museum, the place has three music halls, the magnificent Orangery being the biggest with a capacity of 700 people. The circular ‘Rotondo’ and ‘Witloof Bar’ – named after the chicory that was invented here during the venue’s botanical heydays – are ideally suited for intimate performances and talented young bands who’ve come to try out their stuff on the Brussels crowd.
Le Botanique, Rue Royale 236, 1210 Brussels, Belgium, +32 2 218 37 32
2. Ancienne Belgique
Concert Hall
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3. Recyclart
Bar, Belgian
4. Flagey
Theater
5. Les Ateliers Claus
Music Venue, Theater
6. Beursschouwburg
Theater
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7. Bozar
Bozar
At one moment, this cultural mastodon in the heart of Brussels is hosting a classical trio honoring the flute melodies of Claude Debussy, and the next, it’s organizing its annual Electronic Arts Festival. Bozar’s Henry le Boeuf Hall seats up to 2,200 people in its velvety chairs, making it an ideal stage to the world’s foremost orchestras as well as for the screenings of the cinematic masterpieces of yesteryear – with accompanying live music, like they were meant to be watched.
Bozar, Rue Ravenstein 23, 1000 Brussels, Belgium, +32 2 507 82 00
8. Magasin 4
Magasin 4
The repurposing of industrial warehouses by Brussels’ canal side has brought forth extraordinary results before – just think of Tour & Taxis or the Foodmet. Magasin 4 is no exception. Dedicated to shining a spotlight on unknown talents from the hardcore and new wave variety, this venue invites all musicians to send in their CDs for a spot in the lineup (which is sometimes boosted by bigger names as well). A trip down to the docks might just yield you a delightful discovery.
Magasin 4, Avenue du Port 51B, 1000 Brussels, Belgium, +32 2 223 34 74
9. VK Concerts
Concert Hall, Music Venue
10. Cirque Royal
Music Venue
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