Recently in Belgium Category

There are European summer festivals, and then there is the Ghent Festival (till July 26, 2010). With more than 1.5 million visitors expected to come to the historic Belgian city this year, it's the largest open-air cultural and popular festival on the continent, bringing together four smaller festivals into an explosion of entertainment and fun. The Blue Note Festival, the International Street Theater Festival, a dance festival, and a puppet festival all draw their own crowds, but the beauty of this eclectic event is the never-ending mix of artists and ideas. Musical acts The Grand Silence and Benga take over the stages to fill the streets with an entrancing beat. A theatrical tribute to cartoonist Bob de Moor will delight anyone with an interest in comics or graphic novels. Traditional puppets from Rajastan bring the traditions of ancient India to town, while the dance festival requires plenty of audience participation, with artists like John Digweed and Felix da Housecat keeping the floors filled with revelers. There's also a craft market that's perfect for souvenir shopping, as well as plenty of food and drink, including several artisinal Belgian beers, among the world's finest. Ghent is an easy 30-minute train ride from Brussels, home of several Starwood properties including Le Méridien Brussels.

[image via gentsefeesten.be]

Belgian beers are considered by many to be the world's finest, as complex and nuanced as French wine and a heck of a lot more fun to drink. Fortunately for suds aficionados, the country's most celebrated brews will be on tap from November 14-15, 2009 at the Bruges Beer Festival, where visitors can sample flavors that date back centuries. Now in its third year, the festival will welcome 67 breweries and beer firms who will present about 278 locally-made beers, ranging from the darkest Abbey ales - which are often served with cheese - to fruit-sweetened lambics, which pair perfectly with desserts. To discover your own favorites, start by purchasing a sampling glass for three euros and a handful of beer tokens for 1.25 euros each. Then, walk up and down the aisles of the Bruges Market's Halletoren and sample brews from every region of Belgium, pausing to chat with the brewers who are on hand to answer questions and share the history of their product. As if the beer tasting wasn't enough, local chefs will create gourmet dishes using beer as an ingredient, and several prominent brewers and beer experts will offer lectures and discussions on brewing techniques, regional styles, and tips to be an expert taster. If the weather's nice, take your brew to the outer terrace of the inner court of the historic belfry for some open-air sipping. I can't think of a better way to experience this gorgeous old city. Bruges is just a 50 minute train ride from Brussels, where Starwood has four properties including the luxurious Le Meridien Brussels.

Brussels might be miles from the ocean, but it's still an excellent city to see from the water. There's plenty of water to go around, as it straddles the Zenne River and is crisscrossed by the Charleroi and Willebroek canals, two masterpieces of 16th century civil engineering that survive to this day. For those looking for an unusual perspective on the Belgian capital, an outfit called Brussels By Water offers a series of boat tours of the waterways of Brussels throughout the summer, ranging from half-day tours of the port and nearby attractions to full-day visits to Antwerp and the beautiful Scheldt River area. Of particular interest to history buffs is a trip through the famous "boat-lift" route, which passes between Strépy-Thieu and Houdeng-Goegnies using age-old aquatic technology. And for those who want to get close to the water without actually leaving dry land, there's Bruxelles Les Bains, a temporary urban beach along the canal that stretches more than one kilometer, with sandy beaches for sunbathing, cool oases, water games, snack vendors and more. Boats, beaches, and sunshine. Who says you can't do it all in Brussels? Starwood has four hotels in Brussels, including the Sheraton Brussels Hotel.

[image via Brussels by Water]

Belgium is brimming with history, with medieval houses and soaring castles dotting the country, but if you crave a more vivid picture of the nation's past, make your way to Brussels this summer. From June 30 to July 2, 2009, the Ommegang Pageant will take place in the city center, bringing Belgian history to life through folklore, magic, dancing, and music. The Ommegang dates back to at least 1549, when Charles the Fifth, his son Don Philip, and his sisters, Eleanor of Austria, Queen of France and Mary of Hungary threw a big celebration for, well, themselves...

The modern festival hearkens back to those medieval days, filling the Grand Place with flag bearers, costumed riders, and troops with crossbows in a symbolic show of power, opulence, and nobility. After the Notre Dame du Sablon - the statue of the Virgin - has been safely escorted from the Sablon Church, it's time for the party to begin, and the square fills with 1,400 performers, along with games and other entertainment. It seems fitting to mention here that Belgium produces some of the finest beer in the world, barrels of which will be on hand to quench the thirst of patrons and performers alike. After all, brewing history should be celebrated as well. Starwood has four hotels in Brussels, including the luxurious Sheraton Brussels Hotel.

The Belgian capital of Brussels is normally known as a center of government and commerce, but every March, it becomes the setting for one of the biggest festivals of contemporary classical music in Europe. Founded in 1989, Ars Musica: the International Contemporary Music Festival brings together the classical music world's most famous composers, who present their finest music - including world premiers of new material - to audiences throughout the city at venues such as the the Palais des Beaux Arts and La Monnaie (pictured). Organizers seek to find a balance between composers young and old, Belgian and international, and past festivals have included local legends like Henri Pousseur and Claude Ledoux as well as German upstart Matthias Pintscher and the young French composer Bruno Mantovani. This year marks Ars Musica's 20th anniversary, and its theme, Plus Oultre ("further beyond") is at once a reflection on the past and a rallying cry for further innovation in music. The festival runs from March 10 to April 10, 2009. Starwood has several properties in Brussels, including Le Méridien Brussels.

[image via ilotsacre.be]