What’s on 1-7 May 2025
⭐ This Week's Top Picks
Music. Kyiv Tango Orchestra. Don’t miss this performance by this quartet from Ukraine who are among the best musicians in their country, and are immensely popular there!
Music. Gustaph. Another don’t miss night with Gustaph, who represented Belgium at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.
Art exhibition. Monster Hit. Immerse your imagination on the theme "Praise of Playfulness" on the monster you never, ever want to encounter, inspired by children's monster drawings.
🎨 🎻 🧺 Art, Music & Markets
Music. Kyiv Tango Orchestra. “In the context of the collaboration between Bruges and the Ukrainian city of Kopychyntsi, the city was offered the opportunity to present the Kyiv Tango Orchestra in Bruges. Our Cultural Centre did not hesitate for a second to participate in this project. It is an honour to welcome these Ukrainian artists. Incidentally, this quartet oozes class. They are all among the best musicians in their country and are immensely popular there. On the one hand, they play numbers from the tango nuevo repertoire from Piazzolla to Rovira. In addition, they also wrap traditional Ukrainians in a ruby-red tango jacket. Their virtuoso approach ensures that their concerts are each and every one a high-quality party. This ensemble will also feel particularly at home in our opulent theatre.
Supporting activities: During the concert, Ukrainian-Bruges associations Kryla and De Levensboom will organize an inspiring and accessible workshop for children aged 5 and up. No registration required – just walk into the foyer and join in creatively! Milonga and snacks from Ukraine in the foyer – after the concert. Dance the night away during an atmospheric milonga provided by Tangoroes Brugge and Barrio de Tango. The foyer becomes a dance floor full of elegance, encounters and rhythm. Let yourself be pampered with authentic Ukrainian snacks, offered by Kryla and De Levensboom. A tasteful addition to an evening full of culture.” Tickets: €6-18. 3 May, 20:00. Stadsschouwburg, Vlamingstraat 29.
Music, Dance, Circus. every_body - Alexander Vantournhout / not standing. “Last season, Alexander Vantournhout guest starred in the impressive Foreshadow in which he challenges himself and the dancers by working in height. Now, together with Emmi Väisänen, he explores everyday movements such as, among others, a handshake that eventually transforms into a complex interplay of arms, elbows and shoulders. Every_body thus develops into an ingenious choreography. Composer Geoffrey Burton provides the soundtrack. Besides costumes, fashion designer and scenographer Tom Van der Borght develops a surreal universe in which the dance duet emerges.” Tickets: €10-20. 7 May, 20:00. MaZ - Magdalenastraat 27. https://www.ccbrugge.be/agenda/4361/alexander-vantournhout-not-standing/every-body?slash2=
Visual Arts: Polychrome - Group exhibition. “We leave the darkness and bathe in light. This is the second part of an exhibition diptych. Last season, at the exhibition Kwart voor Nacht, we showed a dark expo with Bruges artists who express themselves through black-and-white photography. Now it is the turn of colourful painting. This time, the house artist is also showing a work that contrasts with the polychrome works of a dozen Bruges painters. The exhibition Polychroom (Polychrome) presents a sample of Bruges artists who express themselves with verve through a range of colours. Expect a pigment festival full of colourful goodies!” FREE. Until 4 May (opening hours Thursday to Sunday from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.). Exhibition space Poortersloge - Kraanrei 19. https://www.ccbrugge.be/agenda/4371/groepstentoonstelling/polychroom
Monster Hit. Liesa Naert is the resident artist this season at the Bruges Cultural Centre. “The monster you never, ever want to encounter. What does that look like? … Inspired by her children's monster drawings, resident artist Liesa Naert is organizing an exhibition in our Biekorf exhibition space. In the theme "Praise of Playfulness" she is investigating, together with the people of Bruges, how impactful the imagination can be and she also wants to immerse adults in that world.” Until 20 Jun. FREE. Exporuimte Biekorf - Sint-Jakobsstraat 8.
https://www.ccbrugge.be/agenda/4370//monsterhit
Weekly markets. The Saturday market (3 May) will be on ‘t Zand and the market on Wednesday (7 May) will be on the Grote Markt/Burg.
🎬 🎭 Stage, Screen, and Scene
Cinema. MOOOV Film Festival Brugge 2025. “The MOOOV Film Festival focuses on films from Asia, Africa, and South America. Watch films you won’t find anywhere else and travel to distant lands through the big screen. This festival offers so much to discover: from family films to documentaries, from feel-good stories to touching dramas. Join us from April 24 to May 4 at Lumière Brugge and enjoy not only films but also side activities, workshops, and engaging post-screening discussions. Get to know DOCtalks in collaboration with De Republiek, our youth jury, or the short film competition for Bruges youth, Kind of Bruges.” Cinema Lumière (Sint-Jakobsstraat 36).
https://www.visitbruges.be/en/whats-on/events-calendar/mooov-filmfestival-brugge-2025
https://www.mooov.be/nl/pQvkDfV/programma-brugge
Kinepolis (Koning Albert l-laan 200) will offer films over the coming week including A Minecraft Movie, The Amateur, Thunderbolts, The Accountant2 and Conclave. A standard ticket costs €14,10. Visit https://kinepolis.be/nl/nl/movies/overview/ for more information and bookings.
⚽ Game On: Sports & Recreation
Football fans visiting Bruges can watch the city’s two world famous clubs, Brugge KSV (“Club Brugge”) and Cercle Brugge KSV (“Cercle Brugge”) play during the season at the city’s Jan Breydel stadium (Koning Leopold III-laan 50). Cercle will meet KV Kortrijk in the play-offs of the national league. 3 May, 16:00. https://cerclebrugge.be/en/ticketing
Paracycling. International UCI Paracycling Road World Cup, Brugge 2025. “Cycling itself is, next to football, the number 1 sport in Belgium and many other countries in the world. The heroes on TV are a source of inspiration for everyone, including people with a disability. Enjoy this World Cup event race including 450 riders participating from 50 countries.” 3-4 May. Krommestraat, Brugge. Contact: Isomundo vzw, jeanpaul@isomundo.com +3259707970 https://www.paracycling.eu/nl/home
🍻🎶 Bruges After Dark: Nightlife
Gustaph & Veronika Deneuve. “Songwriter, musician, producer and pop artist Stef Caers studied music at the KASK in Ghent and started his career as a backing vocalist, among others with Zap Mama, Natalia and The Pointer Sisters. With his solo project Gustaph he already had a single to his name and he regularly played alongside Lady Linn and house dj Red D when he was recruited by Andy Butler of the American disco act Hercules and Love Affair. With Hercules and Love Affair Gustaph toured the world and released two well-received records. In the meantime he also lent his voice to dance tracks by Moonlight Matters and Mumbai Science and taught at the pop academies of KASK and PXL.
All that experience culminated in Gustaph being selected to represent Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool in 2023. With the steaming house anthem 'Because Of You' - a typical Gustaph song - and a striking act, Gustaph scored as one of the freshest entries of that year. To revive the exuberant sound of the 90s, Gustaph produces his music with the popular synths of that period. In addition, the love for the queer community also shines through in his work. After Eurosong Gustaph did not sit still and released several more singles, including a collaboration with MEROL. In the spring he will consciously visit the small venues in Belgium to be close to his audience once again. Don't miss him!”
Veronika Deneuve (he/she/they) “is a drag performer, DJ, and one of the driving forces behind Send In The Clowns, a drag show and party in De Studio in Antwerp . As a big fan of the LGBTQ+ community, Veronika has the ambition to offer queer artists and DJs a platform in the familiar environment of a safe(r) space. Furthermore, they are not shy about giving an activist tone to their work, bringing political topics to the stage and collaborating with organisations such as Het Roze Huis and Antwerp Queer Arts Festival to draw attention to important social issues. It is no coincidence that Gustaph and Veronika met in the Antwerp nightlife, where they celebrated their mutual love for house music with love and soul. And that is exactly what they will do with the audience this evening. So expect a warm-up that will let you taste the best euphoric house hits that also inspired Gustaph's new album.”
Tickets: €15-21. 5 May, 19:30. Cactusmuziekcentrum, Bargeweg 10. https://www.cactusmusic.be/NL/Concerten/Kalender/gustaph
🌈 Family Fun: Events & Adventures
Travelling exhibition: Bump in sight! Medieval motte & bailey castles in the landscape. “With "Bult in Zich!" we go back in time almost 1000 years. To the Middle Ages, when strange bumps appeared in the landscape all over Europe. Discover the fascinating world of motte castles! These medieval fortifications made of earth and wood were the status symbol of the nobility and often had an important military significance. FREE. Until 11 May. O.L.V. Bezoekingskerk, Onder de Toren, 8380 Lissewege.
https://www.west-vlaanderen.be/bult-in-zicht
Atelier Matinée, Concertgebouw (Concert hall). The entrance hall of the Concertgebouw transforms into a play, craft, and discovery zone on (almost) every Sunday morning. FREE, next on 4 May, 09:30. https://www.concertgebouw.be/nl/atelier-matinee-en-workshops
Concertgebouw tours. The concert hall offers tours of its architecture and (sound) art exhibition. https://www.concertgebouw.be/nl/concertgebouw-circuit Guided tours are available on some days, including on 3,4,7 May. Tickets: €6-12, FREE for children under 6. Concertgebouw ('t Zand 34.) https://ticketshop.ticketmatic.com/concertgebouw/shop
🌤️🌧️ Weather
Daytime temperatures forecast range from 17°C-21°C, before cooling off to 11°C-12°C from Monday (5th). Rain is expected on Sunday (4th).
Find latest forecasts covering Bruges at: https://www.meteo.be/en/belgium