PRESS KIT 2018 27.07 03, 10, 17 & 24.08 www.fireworks.brussels LAEKEN FIREWORK DISPLAYS Last year, the City of Brussels introduced five family-friendly firework displays on the Heysel Plateau: the « FEUX DE LAEKEN ». This first edition proved to be a roaring success, adding plenty of oomph to the events programme for neighbourhoods to the north of the Belgian capital! The City of Brussels is well aware of the importance of organising festive family activities close to home and thus will be putting on a repeat performance. “Further to last year’s success, which attracted 43,000 spectators, the City of Brussels will be organising five more sumptuous firework displays on the Heysel Plateau this summer, thus ensuring there will be summer entertainment all over Brussels”, explained Karine Lalieux, Brussels City Councillor for Culture and Tourism. At 11.00 pm on Friday 27 July and 3, 10, 17 and 24 August, amazing fireworks will be set alight just outside Palace 5 illuminating the sky over Brussels. A village will also be set up outside the Atomium. Events will be organised on five different themes: 27.07 : The circus, with “ATOM’CIRCUS’’ ; 03.08 : a creative “DO IT YOURSELF” workshop village; 10.08 : a “JUNGLE FUN ” adventure circuit with entertaining contests; 17.08 : “URBAN COLORS” for a colourful “street art” atmosphere; 24.08 : a musical journey from the 1940s to the present era: “BACK IN TIME”. These five Fridays will give Laeken families, citizens of Brussels and tourists an opportunity to try their hands at many fun activities and attend various shows, sampling drinks and tasty snacks available from all sorts of food trucks. There’ll be dancing, street entertainment, workshops, demonstrations, games and beginners’ lessons for both the young and young at heart! The programme will kick off on Friday 27 July with the “ATOM’CIRCUS” village. It will bring an aura of magic to the Atomium in homage to the year of the circus. From 6.00 to 9.00 pm, there will be clowns, balloon artists, stilt-walkers, giant soap bubbles, face-painting workshops and a bouncy castle for littluns. A marquee will house workshops to teach balancing acts and magic. Original street art walkabouts and distorting mirrors will add to “Feux de Laeken” fun. Then from 9.00 to 11.00 pm, the atmosphere will warm up with fire artists, acrobats and fortune tellers. At all times, gluttons and gourmets will be able to enjoy pizzas, pasta boxes, cold meat platters, paella, candy floss, popcorn, churros, toffee apples etc. There will be gypsy music to entertain visitors as they discover all that’s on offer. “ATOM’CIRCUS” “DO IT YOURSELF” The “DO IT YOURSELF” concept will be given a new twist on Friday 3 August with a host of workshops on a back- to-nature simplicity theme for DIY enthusiasts. Against a gently playful backdrop of haystacks, pallet furniture, check tablecloths and lanterns, visitors can try making things with their own two hands: recycling salvaged objects, making their own cosmetics and cleaning products, learning the basics of vegetable gardening, putting together a bouquet or wreath of flowers. The workshops will take place from 6.00 to 9.00 pm. Food trucks will be open until 11.00 pm, serving piadina flatbreads, veggie dishes, sweet and savoury pancakes and a glutton-friendly BBQ! “JUNGLE FUN” From 6.00 pm to 11.00 pm on Friday 10 August, visitors will be greeted by bamboos, sand, barrels and a jeep worthy of Indiana Jones for a taste of adventure. The “JUNGLE FUN” village will lay on all sorts of physical activities and fun contests in the form of a discovery trail. Children can learn to climb on a specially set up climbing wall, test their sense of balance and motor skills on masts and climbing ropes, and maybe win a lovely prize. Adventure film soundtracks and exciting foreign dishes will also add to the exotic atmosphere. “URBAN COLORS” On Friday 17 August, it’ll be graffiti time with“URBAN COLORS” and its “street art” atmosphere. This participatory event for all ages will combine art and sports. A host of giant white canvases will come to life thanks to the inspiration of both seasoned artists and visitors interested in learning to “tag”, on an ever-changing trail. Visitors can learn the various techniques used in street art at workshops where they can be taught to write their own names in tagger style. Young budding artists can give free rein to their creative streak in a colouring area. “Live painting” performances will provide entertainment, with scrapheap cars, tyres and jerry cans turning into a playground for several artists. Those with energy to spare can go to a skate park for seasoned skaters and beginners. There will be several skate ramps for those who want to learn and demonstrations by seasoned skaters. Live Rap and Hip Hop sessions will provide the soundtrack for these artists throughout the evening. Hotdogs, bagels, Thai and Greek dishes, iced yoghurt and fruit juice will be available to stave off hunger and quench thirst. “BACK IN TIME” Last but not least, on Friday 24 August, a musical journey through time will transport visitors “BACK IN TIME” to enjoy music from the 1940s to the present! From 6.00 to 11.00 pm, eight eras will be featured, from swing and jazz to the latest in electronic music. Each decade will be represented with live musical performances, dance shows and “look alike” appearances. The décor will illustrate each era, with pastel colours and neon signs for the Fifties; a hippie and flared trouser look for the Seventies and an underground touch for the Eighties and Nineties. Time for oldies’ nostalgia as you revisit your favourite era! Visitors can take photos in a booth donning disguises typical of each era as a souvenir to share with friends. Food trucks will be serving burgers, pasta, Thai and Greek food, ice cream and popcorn. Each of the five evenings will be rounded off with an amazing firework display at 11.00 pm outside Palace 5, each designed by a different, talented firework artist. Visitors’ eyes are guaranteed to shine at the sight of the ever-changing magic. LES FEUX DE LAEKEN events add extra oomph to the summer schedule for Heysel Plateau already featuring Mini Europe, Océade and the Star Wars exhibition, not forgetting of course the tour of the Atomium, festivities and exhibitions to celebrate this iconic monument’s 60th anniversary. Diversity, friendliness and sharing are the magic ingredients of the “FEUX DE LAEKEN”. Once more, Brussels will be colourful this summer! CONTACTS City of Brussels: Audrey Poels, Karine Lalieux’s office - [email protected], +32 (0) 485 57 09 98 Wafaa Hammich, Mayor’s office, [email protected], +32 (0) 484 87 06 61 Maïté Van Rampelbergh, Mayor’s office, [email protected], +32 (0) 484 87 06 61 Organisation BME Marina Bresciani, Brussels Major Events, [email protected], +32 (0) 478 22 61 59.