Entertainment Overview

By 11 PM, many Bruxellois have packed up and gone home -- but around midnight, bars and cafés fill up again and roads become congested as night crawlers take over. Sipping a cool beer on an outdoor terrace on a warm night is a simple yet unbeatable pleasure. The club scene is lively, and world-famous DJs as well as homegrown mavericks spin regularly. Many places stay open until dawn. For a rundown on upcoming DJ parties and other late-night events, one resource is the Web site www.noctis.com.

Although the presence of both French and Flemish drives a wedge or two through the capital's cultural landscape, it also delivers some advantages. Both Flemish- and French-language authorities inject funds into the arts scene; one notable combined effort is the annual KunstenFESTIVALdesArts, a contemporary arts festival held in May. A glance at the "What's On" section of weekly English-language newsmagazine the Bulletin reveals the breadth of the offerings in all categories of cultural life.