What’s on 3-9 Apr 2025
⭐ This Week's Top Picks
Cycling: Sports fans will love the chance to watch the gun being fired for the Tour of Flanders, an annual cycling highlight, live in the Market Square.
Music: From Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and its arduous search for happiness and freedom, to And So I Watch You From Afar with their raw, charging, and experimental music that defies easy categorization.
Musical adventure: The city concert hall becomes one big musical playground where movement, sound, space and words blend into a resounding mix.
🎨 🎻 🧺 Art, Music & Markets
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. “Jaap van Zweden in a monument to music history. Beethoven's Ninth echoes the call for human solidarity and universal brotherhood. After 200 years, this idealistic symphony still remains burningly topical and capturing the imagination. In this iconic work, Beethoven traverses a long road that evokes the arduous search for happiness and freedom. With his masterfully constructed musical cathedral, he breaks all musical conventions and unites his genius and vision of life.” Tickets: €26-52. 5 Apr, 20:00. https://www.concertgebouw.be/en/antwerp-symphony-orchestra-flemish-radio-choir
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 (5 Apr) will be on ‘t Zand and the market on Wednesday (9 Apr) 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 The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Soft Leaves, Hard Truths, A Complete Unknown, and The Brutalist. 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 A Minecraft Movie, Disney’s Snow White, A Working Man, Mickey 17, and Black Bag. A standard ticket costs €14,10. Visit https://kinepolis.be/nl/nl/movies/overview/ for more information and bookings.
⚽ Game On: Sports & Recreation
The Tour of Flanders. The ‘Tour of Flanders’ is Belgium's premier one-day cycling race, held annually in early April. In 2025, the 109th edition of the ‘Tour of Flanders’ will be on Sunday 6 April. The start of the Elite Men's race in 2025 will be organised in Bruges (Grote Markt). The riders will cover over 250 kilometres, crossing cobbled lanes and hills in the Flemish Ardennes along the way. FREE https://www.rondevanvlaanderen.be/en
Take in, too, the history of this annual sporting highlight at the Tour of Flanders exhibition wall in the Bruges City Hall. Until 7 Apr. FREE. Bruges City Hall - Conference Room, Burg 12, 8000.
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 play Beerschot in the play-offs of the national league. 5 Apr, 16:00. https://cerclebrugge.be/en/ticketing
🍻🎶 Bruges After Dark: Nightlife
And So I Watch You From Afar – “ASIWYFA for friends – was born out of the icy winter of the northernmost tip of Ireland. They play raw, charging, and experimental music that defies easy categorization. At times angular and noisy, at others pulsating, euphoric, and overwhelming.
While ASIWYFA is often labeled as post-rock, they remain the odd one out. Their sound is more colorful and uplifting, and their energetic compositions bear strong similarities to math-rock. It’s no surprise they found a home with the influential post-metal label Pelagic Records (Mono, The Ocean, Psychonaut) – never afraid to sign a band that colors outside the lines.
Fuelled by an unstoppable touring spirit and the joy, power, and escapism of their live shows, ASIWYFA has built a dedicated cult following across the globe since their formation in 2006. Their albums are uncompromising and adventurous, their live performances legendary and unforgettable. A true DIY band that embodies the spirit of independence and proves, time and time again, the overwhelming positive force that live music can be.”
Tickets: €14-21. 5 Apr, 22:00. Cactusmuziekcentrum, Bargeweg 10.
https://www.cactusmusic.be/EN/Concerts/Calendar/and-so-i-watch-you-from-afar
🌈 Family Fun: Events & Adventures
Music Labyrinth. “With Muzieklabyrint, Zonzo Compagnie transforms the Concertgebouw into one big musical playground. A guide takes you on a journey of discovery for an unforgettable musical adventure. On your way, you will pass various interactive sound installations. End up with the whole family in a universe where movement, sound, space and words blend into a resounding mix! Which sounds will you bring to life?” Tickets: €6-12. 7 Apr, 16:00. Concertgebouw, ‘t Zand 34. https://www.concertgebouw.be/nl/muzieklabyrint-14
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. Visit the travelling exhibition that will travel through the provinces of West Flanders and East Flanders in 2023-2024 and learn more about these impressive buildings and the medieval landscape. From March 1 to April 9, you can visit this exhibition every day in the Church of Lissewege. Free and without reservation! FREE. Until 11 May. O.L.V. Bezoekingskerk, Onder de Toren, 8380 Lissewege. https://www.west-vlaanderen.be/bult-in-zicht
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 5, 6, 9 Apr. Tickets: €6-12, FREE for children under 6. Concertgebouw ('t Zand 34.) https://ticketshop.ticketmatic.com/concertgebouw/shop
🌤️🌧️ Weather
Expect mainly sunny weather, with daytime temperatures before the weekend forecast to reach 19°C, before cooling into next week to around 11-12°C.
Find latest forecasts covering Bruges at: https://www.meteo.be/en/belgium