Antwerp Festivals and Events 2026
Antwerp runs a genuine year-round calendar, but a handful of anchors are worth planning a trip around. Here are the confirmed 2026 dates and the seasonal rhythm behind them, with a note to verify exact dates close to your visit, since city programs shift year to year.
Summer: Zomer van Antwerpen
The big one. Zomer van Antwerpen (Summer of Antwerp) is confirmed for 18 June to 30 August 2026, a city-wide run of outdoor theatre, circus, music, cinema, and pop-up “summer bar” events, part free and part ticketed, spread across parks and squares. If you can time a visit to summer, this is the reason to.
Spring to winter: the Antwerp Six at MoMu
The MoMu fashion museum is open through 2026 and running its headline exhibition, “The Antwerp Six,” from 28 March 2026 to 17 January 2027. It marks 40 years since the six Royal Academy graduates broke through together in London in 1986, and it is the single most significant cultural event in the city this year for anyone interested in design.
A beer festival: Bollekesfeest
De Koninck’s amber “bolleke” got its official name at the city’s own Bollekesfeest, a beer-and-food festival that celebrates Antwerp’s brewing culture (verify the 2026 dates, typically a late-summer or early-autumn weekend). Expect the local beer, food stalls, and a firmly Antwerp crowd rather than a tourist one.
Summer: Antwerp Pride
Antwerp holds an annual Pride, usually in the summer, with a parade and events across the centre. It is one of the livelier weekends on the city’s calendar.
Winter: the Christmas market
“Winter in Antwerpen” spreads a Christmas market across the Grote Markt, Groenplaats, Steenplein, and neighbouring squares, with an ice rink, stalls, and lights. The 2025-26 edition ran 5 December to 4 January; the 2026-27 dates were not confirmed at the time of writing, so expect a similar early-December-to-early-January window and verify closer to the date. Entry is free; you pay only for food, drink, and stalls.
One planning note
The premetro tunnel under the Scheldt is closed for renovation from May 2026 to roughly the end of March 2027, which overlaps most of the events above. If your route to a venue crosses the river, use the free Sint-Anna ferry or pedestrian tunnel rather than a tram.
Read more: build a trip around the calendar with our Antwerp travel guide .