BRUSSELS will enter the new millennium as a European City of Culture, with a programme of more than 250 events in the pipeline.
Brussels 2000 will present the city in a contemporary light, aiming to show a different face to visitors who view the city merely as the European Union headquarters and, as such, home to hordes of bureaucrats.
The opening ceremony on February 26 will bring dance, theatre and music together in a carnival atmosphere. Highlights throughout the year include the Zinneke Parade on May 21, when five processions will weave around the city and meet in the Grand Place.
The city will be turned into an open-air art gallery in May and June with 100 photos from the famous Magnum photographic agency’s collection blown up to monumental size and covering the facades of buildings. They will replace the scaffolding that has been in place for the past decade while the city underwent a facelift.
Meanwhile, Flanders is commemorating the 500th anniversary of Emperor Charles V’s birth in Ghent with events across the region. A ruler of enormous influence, and slightly questionable character, Charles V spent his formative years in Mechelen and went on to command the Holy Roman Empire from Brussels.
Exhibitions in Ghent will trace the political and cultural changes that took place under his reign, the painters who recorded his enduring image and even the fine line between madness and eccentricity.
More information on the European City of Culture programme is available from www.brussels2000.org