Bloomilicious

The Belgian National day naturally means several official ceremonies including a Te Deum mass and parades. This is also the opportunity for the country’s institutions to open their doors to citizens, even the Royal Palace is unveiled in the days surrounding the national day.

 The festivities will end with the exceptional musical firework in the gardens of the Palais des Académies. The animations will take place from the Parc de Bruxelles till Place Poelaert including Place Royale, Place du Musée, Mont des Arts, rue de la Régence and the Grand Sablon. All animations are free.

Agenda

Parade – 3.30 pm : Arrival of The Royal Family, Place des Palais.

- 4 pm: Start of the parade, Place des Palais.

- 5 pm: End of the parade.

 Fireworks – 11 pm : In the gardens of the Palais des Académies.

Access by Rue Royale (where Hotel BLOOM! is situated) and Place Royale.

Enjoy the couleur café festival from the 24th till the 26th of June 2011 at Tour & Taxis Brussel.  Taking place in the city, Couleur Café cultivates the cultural intermingling that is typical for Brussels and other big cities in general. Couleur Café festival knocks down borders and allows different musical influences. An urban festival that effortlessly brings together the musical legends of the 20th century and the hottest talents of the new millennium.

At Couleur Café you find 6 different music styles:

Funk, soul and pop – Hip-hop –  Latino rythmes – Afro world – Balkan beats and Dance, with big names such as Ziggy Marley and Seal.

More info? http://www.couleurcafe.be

From Hotel BLOOM! you can easily access Couleur Café by car ( 8 minutes)

The festival is also accessible by public transportation:

Bus stations nearby the festival: Lines 14 and 89 – Bus stop Picard, 2 min. by foot

Metro stations nearby the festival: Line 2 – Bus stop Ribaucourt, 10 min. by foot

There are also special Couleur Café night buses around Brussels.

On 27, 28 and 29 May jazz will sprout everywhere in Brussels! For the 16th time in a row, the weekend of the Brussels Jazz Marathon will be the perfect opportunity for thousands of tourists to visit the beautiful, historic city centre on the tunes of beautiful and swinging live-music.

During these three days, you will get the chance to discover some of the best musicians in town. There are outdoor stages on the Grand Place (Grote Markt), the Sablon Square (Sablon, Zavel), the St-Katelijne Square and the F. Cocq Square. Various clubs and bars will offer a fantastic musical weekend. Jazz, world, funk and blues… make up your choice!

From Hotel BLOOM ! you can easily access the outdoor stages by public transportation (Metro station, trams and busses at “Botanique”)

This year again, all concerts are for free. So there’s absolutely no excuse to miss out on this wonderfull weekend!

For more information check out www.brusselsjazzmarathon.be

An impressive glazed shopping arcade with a sublime architecture that dates back to 1847. Shops from Mer du Nord, Kaat Tilley, Longchamps, Delvaux, Godiva, Neuhaus and many more.  Aside from the shops, it also houses keynote cultural venues such as the ”Théâtre des Galeries” with a Magritte fresco on the ceiling and the “Théâtre du Vaudeville”.

At the heart of the site, which during the last century acted as the central hub for the transits of goods through customs, the Entrepôt Royal is now home to several offices. Constantly gaining in popularity the shopping gallery that crosses the Entrepôt Royal, over 180 metres long, is set to become a popular area for high-class shopping, dining and ‘to be seen’ in one of the trendy restaurants or bars.