News and Events -----------

If so, you may be able to help Gil Verbeke, a doctoral researcher in the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy at Ghent University, who is looking for native speakers from Southern England (preferably the London area) to take part in a short speech production task as part of a Speech Research Study.

Participants in the study would be asked to record a few words and sentences. These recordings will be used strictly for research purposes only.

To be eligible you should be a native English speakers born and raised in the southern part of the UK, in a native English-speaking household. The study will take place at the university in central Ghent and your contribution should take no more than 30 minutes. A small compensation fee of €10 is offered as well as reasonable travel expenses.

If you are interested, or know someone who might be, feel free to get in touch with Gil via this email: gil.verbeke@ugent.be.

Thanks in advance – and please help spread the word!

The Bridge Theatre's Musical Theatre Summer School for young people is back for 2025. The School offers an unforgettable week where youngsters can build confidence, make new friends and have the time of their lives.

The intensive school runs for five days packed with acting, singing and dancing, and  led by theatre professionals.

The 2025 school will run from Monday 18 August - Friday 22 August at the Stassart House, rue de Stassart 34, Ixelles 1050 (nearest metro Porte de Namur) and is open to young people aged 10-18 years old.

Find more information and how to register via this link. 

And you can get a taste of the Musical Theatre Summer school in this YouTube clip.

On the weekend of September 12 -14, the small Limburg town of Bilzen, roughly halfway between Hasselt and Maastricht, will be hosting its 38th Scottish Weekend (Schotsweekend): a three-day festival celebrating all things Hibernian including music, dance, food and drink, and much more. So, dust off your kilt and get down there!

The first event, a one-day pipe band competition, was organised in 1986 by a few enthusiasts in Bokrijk in Genk. This was a great success attracting some 17 bands to participate.

Over the years the event often moved location but found its base in Bilzen in 1994. And the programme has greatly expanded too. From the initial pipe band competition, a solo competition was added and then Highland Games and Highland Dancing. The concept of a full Scottish Weekend was born in 1989.

With the addition of folk performances, the Scottish market, children's activities and other attractions, the Schots Weekend is a family-friendly, atmospheric festival celebrating Celtic culture and enjoyed by young and old!

Find more details about the event and the 2025 programme here.

The community enjoyed our traditional Summer event on the afternoon of Sunday 22 June 2025 at the Royal Brussels Cricket Club, Lasne. This fun family day out featured typical British food and drink including a BBQ, cream teas, and the famous Timm's Pimm’s Bar!

The refreshments were complimented by a live cricket match, a raffle and traditional children’s games. The occasion was graced by UK Ambassador to the Court of Belgium and BBCA Honorary President Anne Sheriff, who helped draw the raffle.

All the pictures here were taken by BBCA committee member Simon Pascoe and you can find more of his pictures from the day here.

Entrance was free to all and surplus proceeds will be distributed to BBCA constituent charities: the Community Help Service, the British Charitable Fund, the Brussels Branch of the Royal British Legion and The Wednesday Club.

A relaxed crowd enjoyed some increasingly typical Belgian summer sunshine and a closely fought cricket match.

Our thanks to everyone who attended. This year we experimented with a car shuttle service between the RBCC and Braine L’Alleud trains station thanks to Chris ‘Taxi!’ Dalton.

Huge thanks to Ryan from Stonemanor for the BBQ, all BBCA committee members and friends who helped to make the event such a success, and a special thank you to Nikki Hayes, our events coordinator, and past BBCA Chair Glenn Vaughan, who postponed birthday celebrations to be with us on the day.

Cheers – and here’s to the next time!

After an absence of more than 10 years, the Caledonian Society of Brussels is reviving this beloved Scottish tradition. Why not join them for a night of live music, traditional dancing, great food (yes, there will be haggis!) and a proper ceilidh spirit. But be quick - over half the tickets for the Ball have already been sold, and they're selling fast.

The Ball will take place on Saturday 29 November 2025 at the Steigenberger Wiltchers Hotel on Avenue Louise in central Brussels. Tickets cost €150 and includes dinner, drinks and dancing. What to wear? Dress code is kilt, black tie or evening dress.

Live music for the evening will be provided by the ceilidh band The Hoggies and all the dancing will be called, so beginners are welcome!

To book your ticket(s) email calsocbrussels@gmail.com. Pay via the Caledonian Society of Brussels account - IBAN number BE79 3100 6283 1333 – adding the communication: St Andrews Ball with your name + partner name.

Our summer 2025 e-Newsletter has just been published and sent to our members and contacts list.

As ever the newsletter highlights recent community news and forthcoming exciting community events including BBCA events – don’t forget our Summer Garden Party on 22 June! A range of other community activities plus many dates for your diary into 2025 are also featured.

You can access a pdf copy of the newsletter here. Enjoy!

The annual Royal British Legion Brussels Branch commemoration at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) cemetery in Evere (the Brussels City Cemetery) is happening on Saturday 21 June. 

The commemoration will start promptly at 11h30 and attendees are asked to arrive by 11h15 at the latest. The Military Wives Choir will be present and perform.

The CWGC cemetery is a 5-minute walk from the main entrance gates of the Evere cemetery.  Further details are in the poster below and a location map can be found here.

On Saturday 5 July the chapel choir of Worcester College Oxford will be performing evensong at the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula in central Brussels. The service starts at 16h00 and is free with no booking required.

Evensong is a sung-through choral service combining elements of Vespers and Compline. The music for this service includes English composers as varied as Thomas Tallis and Caroline Shaw, while also encompassing European masters from Josquin des Prez to Avro Pärt.

Worcester College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford and was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms was adopted by the college. Worcester’s predecessor, Gloucester College, had been an institution of learning on the same site in Oxford since the late 13th century until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539.

Worcester College Chapel was built in the 18th century. George Clarke, Henry Keene, and James Wyatt were responsible for different stages of its lengthy construction. The interior columns and pilasters, the dome, and the delicate foliage plastering are all Wyatt's work. His classical interior was insufficiently emphatic for the tastes of militant Victorian churchmen, and between 1864 and 1866 the chapel was redecorated by William Burges. It is highly unusual and decorative; being predominantly pink, the pews are decorated with carved animals, including kangaroos and whales, and the walls are riotously colourful, and include frescoes of dodos and peacocks. Oscar Wilde said of the Chapel, "As a piece of simple decorative and beautiful art it is perfect, and the windows very artistic."

Notable alumni of Worcester College include the media mogul Rupert Murdoch, television producer and Dr Who screenwriter Russell T Davies, US Supreme Court justice Elena Kagan, Fields medallist Simon Donaldson, and novelist Richard Adams.

Two Venetian gondoliers discover that one of them has become the King of the distant isle of Barataria - but which of the two is it?  They also learn that he (whichever it is) was married when a baby - but as both gondoliers are already married, this makes one of them (but which one?) an unintentional bigamist.  Two husbands, three wives - that's two-thirds of a husband to each wife - but you can't marry a vulgar fraction!

The Gondoliers is Gilbert's topsy-turvydom at its best, and Sullivan's music at its most sparkling!

Join the Brussels Light Opera Company (BLOC) in Venice and Barataria with five performances of this Gilbert & Sullivan classic from 19 to 22 June at De Bosuil Cultural Centre in Overijse.  Book your tickets here: http://www.bloc-brussels.com.

BLOC is an amateur musical theatre company that performs principally in English and has over 200 members from over 20 nations.

The company welcomes all newcomers.  To perform in a show, you must audition, however a formal musical training is not required – but an ability to read music is helpful. Non-singing members are very welcome to help backstage, front of house or with administration.

Get ready for an evening of fun quizzing, delicious food and great music, brought to you by the Community Kitchen and the Hot Air International Vocal Ensemble (plus friends) on 13 June at Holy Trinity.

You already know the Community Kitchen but Hot Air is a 14 voice ensemble based in the Brussels area. They sing a wide variety of music but mainly on the lighter side: folk songs, spirituals, jazz and pop. Joining Hot Air on the evening of Friday 13 June are The Ladybirds - a female duo who perform the songs of Paul McCartney and the Beatles - and Triple Threat - a trio of female performers with a shared passion for musical theatre.

Get ready for an evening of fun quizzing, delicious food and great music (that may also be quiz rounds), brought to you by the Community Kitchen and the Hot Air International Vocal Ensemble.

Dinner, from the Community Kitchen, will be served and of course the bar will be open. Don’t miss out!

You can either arrange a team in advance (up to six people per team) or just turn up on the night and a team will be found for you. To be sure though, you can book tickets in advance here. Tickets cost EUR 30 per person and cover admission, entry to the quiz, dinner and one drink from the bar.

See you on 13 June from 19h00 at Holy Trinity Brussels Anglican Church, Rue Capitaine Crespel 29, 1050 Brussels.