Bright Brussels marks 10th anniversary with lights and food festival

12 February 2026

The renovated Place Royale will be officially inaugurated during the tenth edition of the Bright Brussels Festival, which runs from 12 to 15 February in the capital. The reopening is being organised by urban development agency Beliris in collaboration with visit.brussels.

The former roundabout at Place Royale has been redesigned with pedestrians in mind, while maintaining a clearly demarcated traffic zone. According to visit.brussels and Beliris, the redevelopment creates an open and pleasant urban space that better showcases Brussels’ heritage. The square will form part of the festival’s illuminated trail, including the installation “The Infinite Walk: An immersive tribute to Constantin Brancusi”, an homage to the modernist sculptor.

Over four evenings, more than twenty light installations will allow visitors to (re)discover neighbourhoods across the historic city centre. As in previous years, landmarks such as Brussels Park, Mont des Arts, the Grand Place and the Musical Instruments Museum (MIM) will be specially illuminated. Other works include BEL-Lume at the BELvue Museum, Le Pavilloscope in the kiosk in Brussels Park, Ocean’s Joy in Rue de l’Iron Cross, Triple Jet at Freedom Square and Perpetuum at Martyrs’ Square. The Manneken Pis GardeRobe Museum is also taking part.

To mark its tenth anniversary, the festival is introducing a new culinary programme, Bright Brussels Food. A market featuring local producers will offer visitors a taste of the capital’s culinary diversity, while several Brussels chefs will host events and tastings. A dedicated village celebrating the Belgian classic, shrimp croquettes, will also be part of the festivities. The Bortier Gallery and the Wolf food market are participating as well, with a light installation titled “Bright in Love”, described as a “nod to Valentine’s Day”.