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

The Brussels Branch of the Royal British Legion will be holding its annual Service of Remembrance and Commemoration at the beautiful Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery at Heverlee, south of Leuven, on Sunday 9 November 2025 from 10h45.

The cemetery at Heverlee is the final resting place of more than 1,000 service men and women from seven nations and from both World Wars.

This year’s event will be held in the presence of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Belgium, H.E. Anne Sherriff and she will be joined by veterans, civilians and serving military personnel from the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Poland, New Zealand, the United States and other nations. Once again the Military Wives Choir Belgium and local Scout groups will also participate in the service.

The Service of Commemoration will be led by the Revd Canon John Wilkinson and a collection will be taken after the Service in aid of the annual Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.

This service is open to all and if you have any questions about the event, please contact contact Mika-John Southworth, the RBL Brussels Events Coordinator. David Bizley, RBL Brussels Poppy Appeal Coordinator, can also provide wreaths and purchase details.

The Entry/Exit System (EES) started operation on 12 October and will be deployed gradually across the external borders of the 29 European countries in the Schengen Area (25 EU member states and 4 non-EU countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland)) over a period of six months. These European countries will introduce the different elements of the EES in phases, including the collection of biometric data, such as facial image and fingerprints. It is planned that from 10 April 2026, the EES will be fully operational at all Schengen external border crossing points.

But how does the EES apply to Brexit Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries?

UK nationals and their family members who are beneficiaries of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement will be exempt from registration in the EES only if they hold a specific residence document. These documents are:

• a valid Withdrawal Agreement residence document issued by the Member State that is their Withdrawal Agreement host State (M card in Belgium);
• a valid Withdrawal Agreement frontier worker document issued by the Member State that is their Withdrawal Agreement State of work (N card in Belgium) ;
• a valid special temporary Withdrawal Agreement residence document issued by the Member State that is their Withdrawal Agreement host State; or
• a certain valid residence permit.

Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries who do not hold any of the above documents will be registered in the EES. They can later ask to have their data deleted or amended in the system if they show that they hold any of the above documents.

Find out more EES FAQs here: https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees/faq#how-does-ees-apply-to-withdrawal-agreement

The Bridge Theatre is bringing  the musical ‘tick, tick...BOOM!’ to Brussels from 14 October to 2 November at the Stassart House venue.  This renowned musical by Jonathan Larson (the creator of Rent) was adapted as a movie by Netflix a couple of years ago.

Jon, an aspiring composer, is nearing 30 and feeling the pressure. While waiting tables, he struggles to finish the musical he hopes will change everything. But time is ticking—his girlfriend wants to leave the city, his best friend has chosen a corporate path, and Jon is torn between security and a dream that may never come true. Fuelled by a driving rock score, this semi-autobiographical story pulses with passion, doubt, and possibility.

The Bridge Theatre production stars Djavan van de Fliert (Frozen, Les Misérables – West End), Dan Buckley (The Book of Mormon – West End), and Laura Marie Benson (Madagascar The Musical – UK & International Tour). The play is directed and choreographed by Ewan Jones.

tick, tick...BOOM! by Jonathan Larson will be performed from 14 October to 2 November 2025, Tuesday-Saturday at 20h00 with a matinee on Sundays at 15h00, at the Stassart House , Rue de Stassart 34, 1050 Brussels.

Come for the Play, stay for a Talk

After selected performances, The Bridge Theatre is hosting special Post-Show Talks with inspiring speakers, making the link between the themes of the play and our everyday lives and realities. So, at the end of the play you can grab a drink at the bar and come back for a discussion (of 30-45 minutes) with guest speakers who reflect on different aspects of the play’s central theme: The Price of Ambition.

More information and tickets here: https://thebridge.brussels/ticktickboom

The Arts Society Brussels asbl (previously known as BRIDFAS) looks to bring people together through a shared curiosity for the arts. Each season the society presents eight illustrated lectures given by renowned experts in their field. The 2025-26 season will kick off on Wednesday 8 October with a talk from Barbara Askew entitled ‘Charles I, King and Collector’. The full 2025-26 programme is shown below.

All the talks are held on Wednesday evenings at the Woluwe-Saint-Lambert Town Hall (Tomberg metro) and are conducted live and also via Zoom (registration required).

Full season membership costs €110, with an ‘Early bird’  fee available for €100 until the end of September. Half-season fee (from January) costs €55, while guests are welcome to attend individual talks at a cost of €15 per session (€8 for students). Registration for Zoom attendance is €10 per session.

In-person participants are welcome to meet up from 19h30 for complimentary drinks before each talk, with the lecture commencing at 20h00.

For more information visit the Arts Society Brussels website or email: brussels@theartssociety.org

The Brussels Women's Club (BWC) are kicking off their Autumn 2025 season of activities on Tuesday 23 September with an Open/ Welcome Day at the BWC Clubhouse in Woluwe Saint Pierre.

Whether you’re a newcomer to Belgium or have lived here for years, you’ll find new friends, experiences and community at the BWC, the largest English-speaking women’s club in Belgium! Have a chat with BWC members over complimentary tea, coffee and delicious home-made cakes. There is no need to register just pop in!

More information here and in the poster below.

Following on from the Welcome Day the BWC will be holding a Brocante/Plant Fair at the Clubhouse on Saturday 4 October.

Why not pop in and snatch up a bargain!  If you are looking for a something really unique and unusual, either for yourself or for someone special, then make sure to come along. In addition to the usual brocante items, you’ll find home-made cakes, marmalades and jams, special gifts, and of course…plants. And while you’re browsing, enjoy the Non-Stop Café goodies!

More information on the event here and in the poster below.

The American Drama Group Europe in association with TNT Britain will bring Shakespeare’s finest comedy ‘Much ado about nothing’ to the courtyard of Kasteel van Groot-Bijgaarden on the afternoon of Tuesday 23 September 2025.

The group, based in Munich, undertake an annual tour of Europe in the summer performing English theatre in the open air in castle gardens and courtyards across the continent; looking to link anglophone culture with the local historical heritage.

The performance at Kasteel van Bijgaarden will commence at 13h30 and tickets, with prices starting at €13, can be obtained from this site.

The production is directed by Paul Stebbings and the producer is Grantly Marshall.

ADG Europe plays always include live music, and the score for ‘Much ado about nothing’ has been adapted by Paul Flush and will mix Mozart with a dash of jazz. The style of production is fast, furious and funny, with a careful attention to Shakespeare’s poetry.  

You can read more about the production here.

The 12^th century Kasteel van Groot-Bijgaarden is situated in the commune of Dilbeek,just to the north of Brussels, and has a very fine garden.

Today (10 September) is World Suicide Prevention Day and to mark this, our friends at the Community Help Service (CHS) in Brussels are sharing the experiences of two volunteers who answer calls from people in distress in an article in The Bulletin.

The CHS Helpline is a nonprofit anglophone service and is one of the main charities supported by the BBCA. And demand for their services is growing. The first half of this year saw  a 20% increase in call volume and a rise of 21% in calls from people with suicidal thoughts. The CHS Helpline is anonymous, confidential and can be reached 24/7 at +32 2 648 4014.

World Suicide Prevention Day is an opportunity to raise awareness of the CHS Helpline and to attract new volunteers to cope with the increasing number of calls. If you are interested on becoming a CHS volunteer, find out more about the work of volunteers in The Bulletin article that includes a link to a volunteer application form.

The recently formed Brussels Philharmonic Chorus (BPC) is looking for new recruits. The BPC offers the opportunity for you to perform traditional and contemporary choral literature and major works in collaboration with the BPC’s artistic partner the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra (BPHO).

Details of the audition process for potential chorus members, together with information on proposed performances can be found in the poster above and via the QR code.

If you have further questions you can email the BPC Artistic Director, David Navarro Turres.

The next free webinar from the Commissioner.Brussels Expat Welcome Desk (EWD) will be on Tuesday 9 September from 12h00 to 13h30 and will cover "How to access healthcare in Belgium".

Are you an expat living in Belgium and wondering how the healthcare system works? Join the next EWD webinar to learn how to get affiliated with Belgian health insurance, understand the role of mutual insurance, and find out how medical expenses are reimbursed. You will also discover the EU procedures related to sickness and disability insurance. This session will give you the essential keys to navigating the Belgian healthcare system with confidence.

The webinar will be moderated by Selma Mitri, EWD Manager and the speaker will be Dr. Gabrielle Caceres-Frasquiel, International Relations Department Legal advisor at INAMI (the Belgian National Sickness and Disability Insurance Institute).

To register for this webinar send an email to inscription@commissioner.brussels before Friday 5 September. A link to access the meeting will be sent via e-mail to your registered email one day before the webinar. Spaces for the webinar are limited, so register asap!

Your country needs you! Well UKFC, an 11-a-side football team of UK expats and friends, playing in the Brussels Euroleague, needs you.

UKFC manager, Tom Denney, is looking for fit UK expats with the ambition to represent the UK in an international football league competition that consists of over a dozen European country-based teams. All the Brussels Euroleague matches take place in or around the Brussels region throughout the week in the evenings or at weekends.

Tom is looking for new players in all positions to strengthen the UK team squad for the upcoming 2025/26 season. The UK team organises its fixtures, team selection etc through whatsapp and email.

If you are looking to initiate, or rejuvenate, your international football career then get in touch with Tom by email on ukfcofficial@gmail.com.

The 2025/26 season will kick-off for the UK team against Romania at 20h15 on 8 September at the Centre Sportif Petit Chemin Vert in Neder-Over-Heembeek (Brussels 1120).