What’s on 20-26 Feb 2025

⭐ This Week's Top Picks 

The Aretha Franklin Experience. Have the time of your life this week in Bruges! Immerse yourself in an Aretha Franklin Experience, a tribute to the Queen of Soul. 

Anselm Adornes Exhibition. Find out about the life of Anselm Adornes reflecting dynamic exchange between commerce, diplomacy, and devotion in medieval Europe in an exhibition at the Jerusalem Chapel in Bruges, inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Expo Culinair - Handmade in Brugge. Culinary creators from Handmade in Brugge share insights into their craft and showcase what sets them apart.

🎨 🎻 🧺  Art, Music & Markets

The Aretha Franklin Experience. “Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the 60's and 70's and have the time of your life! Aretha Franklin was at the top for six decades. Her biggest hits were interpretations of songs like (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, Say a little prayer and Respect. Her spirit inspired musicians and world leaders. That fire also touched the artists of The Aretha Franklin Experience. They guarantee a soulful afternoon, interspersed with infectious gospel and blues. One moment you get a sublime ballad, the next you swing along enthusiastically. The band, the horns and the fantastic singers bring a mighty tribute to the Queen of Soul.” Tickets: €7-22. 23 Feb, 15:00. Stadsschouwburg Brugge, Vlamingstraat 29. https://www.ccbrugge.be/agenda/4332//the-aretha-franklin-experience

Yuma + Toa Toa + Bearfeet. “Yuma is a musical project where the lead singer gets lost in a world of unspoken feelings. The sound is sometimes somewhat reminiscent of post-rock, while Yuma Claeys' voice is spread like a mantra over the whole thing. For fans of Radiohead as well as Phoebe Bridgers. Toa Toa is a mishmash of dreamy vocals, echoing surf guitars, soothing sax tunes, trippy organ sounds, melodic bass lines and unpredictable rhythms. Eclectic as Ween and Ariel Pink combined. Finally, inspired by Angus & Julia Stone, The Lumineers and Ben Howard, Bearfeet creates its own authentic sound.” Tickets: €3-6. 22 Feb, 20:00. MaZ - Magdalenastraat 27. https://www.ccbrugge.be/agenda/4331//yuma-toa-toa-bearfeet?slash2=

Transitional Dance: Workshops. “Choreographer and Dance in Bruges Maker Michiel Vandevelde is developing a new dance transition ritual especially for the city of Bruges. How do you dance for the transition from one phase of life to another? How can a dance ritual contribute to celebrating change? Vandevelde focuses primarily on hip movements for his choreography. The hips are not only associated with birth, but also with seduction, with the generation of new life. 

Or as Vandevelde puts it: 'Transitional dance is a celebration of the potential of life, and especially of the potential for change during life.' He gives this dance to dance lovers who feel like committing to bring this dance ritual into the public space every month to celebrate all kinds of possible transitions. The dancers form a community that takes care of the performance and passing on the dance to others. In this way, they start a ritual that can last forever. Anyone who wants to dive into this rite of passage together is invited to follow the workshops in which the choreography is taught. These workshops are open to anyone interested in movement (no dance experience required).” 

This series of FREE workshops start at KAAP, The Groenplaats, Groenestraat 19B on 24 Feb, 19:00, and will run each week until 17 Mar. To register to take part email Hanne at hanne@kaap.be.  https://www.kaap.be/toont/transitional-dance-0

The Last Beach - Diego Latruwe & 8 other artists. “This season, we are once again crowning our resident artist as curator. A fascinating exhibition where his art is confronted with work by other artists. Together with nine other artists with whom he has an affinity, Diego Latruwe is developing an exhibition around themes such as decay, repetition and infinity. They draw inspiration from HG Wells, Michel Houellebecq and Jorge Luis Borges. The Last Beach is an exhibition that reaches towards the end of time. It poses pertinent questions: how do we conserve, fragment and reproduce, while the sea level threatens to rise above our heads and the world is in constant flux?” Until 9 Mar. FREE. Exhibition space Poortersloge - Kraanrei 19.

https://www.ccbrugge.be/agenda/4369/the-last-beach/diego-latruwe-en-8-kunstenaars?slash2=

Local art: Kunstkunstig. “Kunst@IRIS has been a fixture in the Bruges region for more than 70 years With a wide variety of art disciplines, its exhibitions are always a fascinating experience for both visitors and artists.” Until 23 Feb, 10:00-18:00. Jan Garemijnzaal Belfort Markt. https://www.visitbruges.be/en/whats-on/events-calendar/kunstkunstig

Pearls of Slavic Choral Music - Benefit concert in aid of Amfora. Join this concert performed by choir Vivente Voce in the beautiful setting of Sint-Walburgakerk, celebrating 10 years of Amfora, a charitable organisation supporting end of life discussions. Tickets: €20-35. 23 Feb, 11:00. Sint-Walburgakerk, Sint-Maartensplein.  https://amfora.be/

Exhibition: 600 Years of Anselm Adornes. Anselm Adornes (1424–1483) was a prominent merchant, diplomat, and knight from Bruges. Of Genoese descent, he played a key role in international trade and politics, serving as an envoy for the Dukes of Burgundy. Adornes is best known for his pilgrimage to Jerusalem and his involvement in religious and cultural projects, including the construction of the Jerusalem Chapel in Bruges, inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. His life reflects the dynamic exchange between commerce, diplomacy, and devotion in medieval Europe. A standard ticket costs €10. Until 1 Mar. Adornesdomein & Jeruzalemkapel (Peperstraat 3). https://www.adornes.org/en-home

Weekly markets. The Saturday market (22 Feb) will be on ‘t Zand and the market on Wednesday (26 Feb) will be on the Grote Markt/Burg.  

🎬 🎭 Stage, Screen, and Scene

Cinema. Cinema Lumière (Sint-Jakobsstraat 36) will be showing a variety of films over the next week. These include A Complete Unknown, The Brutalist, Maria, Conclave, and Babygirl. Ticket prices are up to €12, with a family film option before 16:30 costing €9. Visit the cinema’s website for films, timings and bookings: https://lumiere-brugge.be/agenda-lumiere-brugge/

Kinepolis (Koning Albert l-laan 200) will offer films over the coming week including Captain America: Brave New World, Paddington in Peru, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, and September 5. 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). Club Brugge will meet Standard Liège on 23 Feb, 13:30 in the Jupiler Pro League. Tickets: https://tickets.clubbrugge.be/

🍻🎶 Bruges After Dark: Nightlife

Jazz: Otto Kintet @ Izzy JazzClub Brugge. “The search for unity is at the heart of Otto Kintet's music. Band leader Otto Kint's compositions form the basis for a distinctive sound with a focus on improvisation, layering, unusual time signatures and intriguing chord progressions. The diverse musical backgrounds of the group members resonate in the music, which identifies as jazz with influences from pop, rock and classical music.” Tickets: €15-20. 21 Feb, 20:00. Estaminet 't Hamerken in brouwerij De Halve Maan, Walplein 26. https://www.izzyjazzclub.com/index.html https://www.visitbruges.be/en/whats-on/events-calendar/otto-kintet-izzy-jazzclub-brugge 

Sloper. “Sloper was formed in 2018 by two notorious drummers: Mario Goossens of Triggerfinger and Cesar Zuiderwijk of Golden Earring. Zuiderwijk joined Golden Earring in 1970 and toured the world after scoring a world hit with ‘Radar Love’. Fellow drummer Mario Goossens is a founding member of Triggerfinger, a solid rock trio that has been touring clubs and rock festivals in continental Europe for more than 20 years.” The band has evolved since then, and expect influences from the 80s, 90s, and even Northern Soul. Tickets: €14-21. 26 Feb, 19:30. Cactus Music Centre, Bargeweg 10. https://www.cactusmusic.be/NL/Concerten/Kalender/sloper

🌈 Family Fun: Events & Adventures

Expo Culinair - Handmade in Brugge. “Culinary creators from Handmade in Brugge will share insights into their craft and showcase what sets them apart. The focus is on the production process, with objects from their workshops, kitchens, or studios taking centre stage. In addition to the exhibition, you’ll also have the chance to dive deeper into their craft through studio visits, tastings, and demo workshops.” FREE. Until 29 Mar, 10:30-17:30. Sashuis - Handmade in Brugge Shop, Wijngaardplein 14. https://www.handmadeinbrugge.be/agenda/expo-culinair

Expo Bodyworlds. Visit this award-winning exhibition showcasing real, plasticised human bodies. Explore the functions, development, and resilience of the human body while learning about the effects of diseases and lifestyle choices. Tickets: €15-19. Until 25 Mar. Site Oud Sint Jan, Mariastraat 38. https://bodyworlds.be

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 23 Feb, 09:30. https://www.concertgebouw.be/nl/atelier-matinee-en-workshops

Concertgebouw tours. The concert hall also 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 22, 26 Feb. Tickets: €6-12, FREE for children under 6. Concertgebouw ('t Zand 34.) https://ticketshop.ticketmatic.com/concertgebouw/shop

🌤️🌧️ Weather

It will be mostly cloudy with rain and some sunny spells over the coming week, with top daytime temperatures of around 10-13°C.

Find latest forecasts covering Bruges at: https://www.meteo.be/en/belgium