Medieval Brussels

Capital of Belgium and medieval seat of the Dukes of Brabant, whose Grand-Place keeps its 15th-century Gothic town hall among guild houses rebuilt after the French bombardment of 1695. The Sablon quarter, with the crossbowmen's church of Our Lady, is where the Ommegang pageant has set out since 1348.

1 festival no articles yet next event 30 June 2027

Medieval festivals in Brussels

Christophe Degryse · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Jousting & Tournaments Living History & Museums +1

Ommegang of Brussels

Brussels, Belgium

The Ommegang is Brussels' great historical pageant: more than 1,400 participants in costume, with horses, giants, stilt-walkers, crossbowmen and flag-throwers, process from the Sablon to the Grand-Place on two evenings in early July to recreate the 1549 entry of Emperor Charles V and his son Philip. Its roots go back to a 1348 procession of the crossbowmen's guild; it was revived in 1930 and has been on UNESCO's intangible heritage list since 2019. The 2026 shows were on 1 and 3 July.

Expected Jun–Jul 2027

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Months with a festival are linked. Expected dates say so. June

More medieval festivals in Belgium

All festivals in Belgium

Carolus · CC BY 3.0

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Historic City Celebrations

Procession of the Holy Blood

Bruges, Belgium

Every Ascension Day more than 1,800 people from Bruges carry the relic of the Holy Blood through the historic centre in a four-part pageant of Old Testament, New Testament and city history, with horses, carts, choirs and over 250 live musicians. The procession is dated by the city to 1304, has been on UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2009, and next takes place on Thursday 6 May 2027.

6 May 2027

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Other medieval cities in Belgium: Bruges