Cultural Compass: Free outdoor festival, creative delirium and Brussels' roaring past

Every Sunday, Belga English picks its favourite events from the cultural agenda. This week: A chance to be outdoors to enjoy music and dance in Bruges, Miet Warlop's latest stroke of chaotic genius and celebrating pleasures of the past in Brussels.

Mirage Festival, 16-25 May, Bruges

For ten days, Queen Astrid Park in Bruges becomes the beating heart of Mirage, a vibrant outdoor arts festival bursting with energy, creativity and surprise. This year, the traditional spiegeltent gives way to an open-air theatre, where dance, theatre, music, circus, comedy, literature and visual arts take centre stage under the open sky (Belgian weather permitting).

The festivities kick off with Dansstorm, a three-day city-wide dance celebration, setting the tone for what’s to come: powerful performances by national and international artists inspired by the city’s hidden stories.

A highlight is 8 km on Mule by Álvaro Murillo. This haunting reimagining of a true 1928 event that inspired Lorca’s Blood Wedding explores forbidden love and societal tension with visceral power.

Meanwhile, indoors at the Bruges Conservatory, the dance department presents From Brush to Stage, where iconic paintings come to life through expressive choreography in a riot of color and movement.

With open-air circus acts, stunning installations, public dance parties and even pole dancing for the daring, Mirage promises an unforgettable experience as bold and unpredictable as the Belgian summer itself.

INHALE DELIRIUM EXHALE, 18 - 21 May plus additional tour dates, Kunstenfestivaldesarts Brussels

Belgian artist Miet Warlop unleashes a storm of imagination in her latest creation, INHALE DELIRIUM EXHALE, a world premiere that sets the tone for bold, boundary-pushing performance. Known for her visual flair and fearless experimentation, Warlop delivers an immersive experience that transforms the stage into a living, breathing force of nature.

A wave rises as 6,500 metres of silk ripple across the stage accompanied by a pulsing soundtrack from DEEWEE. At the heart of the piece is Warlop’s personal creative chaos: the emotional turbulence of making art, translated into a vibrant symphony of movement. Performers become extensions of the fabric building a surreal landscape that blends humour, Greek mythology and raw physicality.

Premiering at this year’s festival, INHALE DELIRIUM EXHALE marks a milestone for Warlop, who has been chosen as Belgium’s first-ever performance artist to represent the country at the 2026 Venice Biennale. This groundbreaking work will tour across Europe in the coming year.

Loisirs-Plezier: Brussels 1920-1940, until 12 April 2026, Maison Autrique, Schaerbeek

To celebrate 100 years of Art Deco, a nostalgic through the Brussels’ vibrant interwar leisure scene will be on display. Housed in this iconic Art Nouveau home built by Victor Horta, the exhibition explores how Brussels embraced speed, spectacle and modern pleasures between the two World Wars.

Through photographs, posters, enamel signs and vintage magazines, visitors can discover nine themed sections highlighting everything from the thrill of early motor travel and aviation to the rise of tourism, jazz clubs, cinema, cabarets and the growing popularity of sport.

The show captures the creative spirit of the time, showcasing the flair of local designers, businesses and products that helped shape the era’s roaring lifestyle.

(MOH)

^{#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO ALEX VANHEE}

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