BRUSSELS — On October 4, the 50th edition of Europalia opened in Brussels with a procession through the UNESCO-listed Grand Place featuring 300 musicians from 12 countries. The biennial festival, which runs through January 26, 2025, has once again turned the Belgian capital into an open-air laboratory for European culture—this time with Ethiopia as its guest nation of honor.
Founded in 1969, Europalia is one of Europe's oldest and most ambitious multidisciplinary festivals. Unlike typical citywide arts events, each edition spotlights a single guest country or region, commissioning new work across music, dance, visual arts, film, and literature. The 2024 program marks a half-century of this model, pairing European artists with Ethiopian counterparts in collaborations that range from classical music to contemporary circus.
From Addis Ababa to Brussels: What's on Stage
The festival's music programming leans heavily into Ethiopia's distinctive sonic traditions. At the Centre for Fine Arts (Bozar), the Ethio-jazz legend Mulatu Astatke performs with the Brussels Philharmonic on October 18, revisiting arrangements from his 1970s output for a European orchestra. Meanwhile, the Meklit ensemble—led by the Ethio-American singer-songwriter of the same name—presents a newly commissioned work at Flagey on November 9 that reinterprets Ethiopian qene poetry through jazz and electronic textures.
Dance audiences are directed to La Monnaie / De Munt, where choreographer Belayneh Abinet collaborates with Brussels-based Les Ballets C de la B on Tigist, a piece exploring migration and memory through Ethiopian eskista shoulder dance and European contemporary technique. The production runs for six performances from November 14–23.
The festival also maintains its street-level presence. The Grand Place hosts free outdoor concerts every Friday evening through December, with the square's guildhalls serving as a lit backdrop. On a recent Saturday, the queue for the Romanian folk-electronic fusion act Hara stretched three blocks down Rue de la Loi, with attendees dancing on the cobblestones until after midnight.
Beyond the Concert Hall
Europalia's visual arts strand is anchored by "Ethiopia: A Voyage to the Source," a exhibition at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (until January 19, €15). The show brings together 19th-century European paintings of Ethiopia with contemporary responses by Addis Ababa-based artists, including a newly acquired installation by Aïda Muluneh.
For visitors seeking a more hands-on experience, the Europalia Village occupies the Tour & Taxis warehouse complex with a food market, craft workshops, and a 200-meter mural project led by Ethiopian painter Behailu Bezabih. Admission to the Village is free Thursday–Sunday.
"You Can Feel the Curiosity in the Room"
At a packed panel discussion on opening weekend, Sofia Mohammed, a 34-year-old Brussels-based curator who grew up in Addis Ababa, described the festival's impact in pointed terms. "For decades, Europalia brought European audiences to other cultures," she said. "Now you can feel the curiosity running both ways. Ethiopian artists aren't just performing here—they're co-creating the program."
That bidirectional emphasis is visible in the festival's educational outreach. Some 120 Brussels schools have signed up for Europalia at School, a program that sends Ethiopian musicians and storytellers into classrooms. The festival also operates in Ghent, Antwerp, and Liège, with satellite performances at venues including Handelsbeurs and deSingel.
If You Go
- Dates: October 4, 2024 – January 26, 2025
- Headquarters: Europalia Village at Tour & Taxis, Brussels
- Tickets: Individual event prices vary from free (Grand Place concerts, Village entry) to €45 for premium seated performances at Bozar and La Monnaie. A Europalia Pass (€89) grants priority access to five productions and discounted entry to exhibitions.
- Transit: All major venues are reachable via Brussels Metro lines 1, 2, 5, and 6; night buses operate on weekends.
- Full program: europalia.eu
Fifty years in, Europalia remains a reminder that European culture is defined less by borders than by the conversations that cross them.
