The colourful Zinneke Parade will meander through the centre of Brussels. More than 2,300 Brussels citizens from every part of the city will dress up, make music or perform during the parade, all inspired by this edition’s theme “Aan tafel!” (“Come to the Table!”). This year, organisers want to emphasise – even stronger than usual – that Brussels is a city from and for everybody.

The name of the parade refers to both the Brussels river Zenne as to the stray dogs that used to roam around it. These mongrels have become a symbol for Brussels – an embodiment of the cosmopolitan and multicultural nature of the city. It’s therefore no surprise that all participants of the parade come from very different neighbourhoods, with contrasting backgrounds and a diverse array of beliefs.


“The week before the parade, we’ll drop four massive art works on different squares,” explains Zinneke spokesperson Dis Huyghe. “Those creations mark the starting points of the parade. Twenty five so-called zinnodes – a group of about 100 people – will head out from Fontainasplein, Sint-Katelijne, the Albertinaplein and the Spanjeplein and meet each other along the way.”
The parade will stroll over the central lanes in the centre and will cross the square of all Brussels squares: Grote Markt. For the first time, all the zinnodes will pass by Manneken Pis, as well. Another new feature is the interaction between what’s going on in the streets and on several balconies along the route. “Puppeteers from Belgium, Ireland, Italy and France will perform a show with the main puppet called Maurice and his family,” says Huyghe.
Brussels has had to deal with quite a lot of bad publicity. The Zinneke crew want to demonstrate that Brussels is not a dangerous city or a no-go zone, but a lively capital bursting with creativity. The Zinneke Parade wants to be “the celebration of all Brussels neighbourhoods” and strives to show off the city as being “open to everyone”.
What to expect? The Zinneke Parade could be compared to carnival, only without the floats. It’s people powered: Zinneke is billed as “100% human”. All the music you’ll hear is performed live and without amplifiers. There are no motorised wagons – instead the zinnodes create their own rolling vehicles.
The lively parade is hugely fun to watch because of the artistic creativity of the participants, resulting in a remarkable mix of colours, sounds and movement. Don’t forget to look up and spot Maurice and his family on balconies of houses along the way.