Join the National Day celebrations at Party in the Park
If watching military parades isn’t your thing, there is another way you can join Belgians in celebrating our National Day. At 11am on Sunday morning the Mayor of Brussels Philippe Close (Francophone socialist), the Chief Commissioner of the Brussels-Capital Elsene Local Police Service Michel Goovaerts and the Interior Minister Pieter De Crem (Flemish Christian democrat) officially opened this year’s Party in the Park. The Party in the Party takes place in the Warande Park that is situated between the Royal Palace and the Federal Parliament.
There is fun to be had by young and old and it wouldn’t be Belgium if there weren’t plenty of places to get something to eat or drink.
Representatives of the Belgian military, the police, the federal authorities and the European Commission were also present at the event’s official opening.
More than just a party
In addition to the Party in the Park there is a host of other activities to suit all tastes taking place in the centre of Brussels today. All the city museums are open and the Federal Parliament is also staging an open day.
From 5pm the ‘Nostalgie Live Tour’ gets under way on the Grote Zavel with a performance by the American band Cock Robin.
The theme of this year’s Police Village on the square in front of the Brussels Courthouse is innovation. The Customs Service will be holding demonstrations of its bleeding simulation and the Scanvan luggage scanner.
Meanwhile, the Defence Village allows visitors to learn about the equipment used by our soldiers and the mission that have carried out.
The public are also invited to relive the 75th anniversary of our country’s liberation from the Nazis. Old vehicles from the 101 Airborne – 326 ENG are on display as are old Gendarmerie vehicles. The Belgian Old Vehicle Federation has also put around 70 vehicles on display and there is a tent with an exhibition of old uniforms.