13 Best Performing Arts Venues in Brussels, Belgium

This is the city's principal venue for classical music concerts and dance theater. Originally the first multipurpose arts complex in Europe, it was designed by acclaimed Belgian architect Victor Horta and was first opened in 1928. The Henry Le Boeuf concert hall has world-class acoustics. The complex also houses a theater and an art gallery, which plays host to some excellent traveling exhibitions.

City-center concert hall for mostly rock and pop acts. Tickets can be bought online or at the venue.

Located in a former brewery, this local music institution is one of the city's biggest pop and rock venues. It also hosts exhibitions, film screenings, and talks, and has a history of putting free summer concerts and gigs held on its rooftop in June. Buy tickets online or at the ticket office.

A major concert hall that has pop acts, theater, comedy, ballet, and just about anything else you can imagine. The building dates from 1878, and for years it was home to the capital's permanent circus (hence the name)—its basement stalls were able to accommodate 110 horses. Tickets can usually be bought at Ticketmaster or FNAC.

Large performing arts and cinema center, and the home of the Brussels Philharmonic, who perform regularly in Studio 4.

This company sells tickets for major events.

Guided tours (available in English) of the city's federally funded, early-19th-century opera house unravel a colorful history that precedes the current neoclassical building, which was built belatedly on the orders of Napoléon, who deemed its predecessor too shabby. Unravel the secrets of its workshops behind the scenes, or stick around and catch its busy program of shows and classical concerts.