In the midnight hour: Brussels Summer Festival

Where does life pump the loudest when the clock strikes midnight? Every week, BRUZZ explores Brussels’s nightlife. This time, we went bird spotting on the Kunstberg/Mont des Arts, during the final chords of the Brussels Summer Festival.

Sunday night, 11.58 pm. The closing party of the Brussels Summer Festival is taking place on the Kunstberg/Mont des Arts. That’s why there are garlands everywhere. Confetti is being shot out of canons. The charming and very good-looking Spanish singer Alvaro Soler is playing an encore. And another. And another. The Latin lover had a number 1 hit in the charts with “Sofia”. Everyone is singing along, loudly. King Albert I sways along on his horse and winks at Princess Elisabeth. She sees that it is good. As do the police officers who are out in force.

As do Alexandra, from Mons, and Adeline, from Lille. “We bought tickets for all five days of the festival. We went back to Mons every day. We didn’t stay in a hotel because it is only one hour’s drive. We were very well behaved, you know. The festival was fantastic! We had an absolutely amazing time.” The highlight was Christine and the Queens, they say in chorus. “Extraordinaire! Fabulous! It wasn’t easy in a wheelchair because it is so hilly here. But even for someone with limited mobility, it was amazing!”

And then we are asked to move because Keizerslaan/Boulevard de l’Empereur is being reopened to traffic.