Celebrate National Day

Wander down the Jeu de Balle after 4 pm and you'll find mouthwatering servings of the traditional dish, mussels and pomme frites, accompanied by brass band music, majorettes, and accordions. It's a full-on public holiday with all the bells and whistles. Expect military parades, air force aerial demonstrations, street festivities, expositions, and fireworks. The Royal family participates, too. Watch the king inspect the Belgian Army parading past the palace. And on the morning after, join the family at mass in the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula. They'll have been up late! The party reaches its crescendo just before midnight when a spectacular fireworks display lights the sky above the Royal Palace.