The organisation behind the yearly BANAD Festival is introducing a new event in Brussels, focussing on the architecture from the ‘long’ 19th century. The first edition is set to take place in October 2025 and should attract a large range of architecture lovers to the Belgian capital.
The yearly Brussels Art Nouveau & Art Deco (BANAD) Festival has become quite the staple on the Belgian and international architecture scene. Seldom-seen architectural marvels open their doors to the public every Spring, as a host of enthusiastic guides tells the sometimes long-forgotten stories of the houses, their designers, and their inhabitants.
Previously, Explore.Brussels – the organisation behind the BANAD Festival – already added two other events to the calendar. The Eclectic and Neoclassical Biennales took place every other year but now, the two will be merging in an Autumn festival which should mirror the concept behind the BANAD Festival.
The new event has been named ANTE Festival and is set to take place over two weekends, from 11 until 12 and from 18 until 19 October 2025. According to Explore.Brussels, the event will showcase Brussels’ architectural treasures from the ‘long’ 19th century, spanning a period from approximately 1780 until 1920. A century’s worth of evolution, transition, division, and large-scale technical and stylistic experimentation will be put center-stage during the two weekends.
“The ANTE Festival will become a key moment in the cultural calendar. From Neoclassicism to Eclecticism, it invites visitors to explore the foundations of modernity and the remarkable depth and diversity of Brussels’ built heritage,” Explore.Brussels said in a press release.
A full programme will be published after the summer break but architecture lovers should expect a range of new venues, some of which have never opened their doors to the public in the past – previews of Maison Hap, Hotel Knuyt de Vosmaer, Hotel Campioni, and the Ancien Château Bischoffsheim were added to the press release. Aside from guided tours in French, Dutch, and English, other activities are set to be organised during ANTE Festival.
While the BANAD Festival 2025 has already passed by and the new ANTE Festival will only take place in October, meanwhile, Explore.Brussels regularly organises visits to some of Brussels’ most beautiful heritage outside of the festivals.
