I spent the weekend in Brussels to attend the Nuits Botanique, a music festival taking place in the center of Brussels with an eclectic line-up. Read my article for a review of the Festival and practical tips and where to stay to make your Brussels weekend a success.
Read the Les Nuits Botanique festival review and see how it went!
Content of this article:
Overview of les Nuits Botaniques
Les Nuits Botanique is a music festival put together by one of the best music venues in Brussels. It is a festival taking place over three weeks every May in the four venues of the Botanique Festival. The venue dates from the 19th century and is beautiful in itself. The outdoor stage is in the beautiful garden, while the 3 other stages are indoor. Each venue looks better than the other. The Rotonde reminded me of the roundhouse in London. The Grand Salon room has an industrial look.
The long room is covered by a few forge balconies. What makes it unique is that Les Nuits Botaniques attracts undiscovered bands of high quality in small venues. The four venues are so small that you are never more than 15 meters from the stage. L’orangerie is the biggest venue, and it holds a maximum of 650 people. Prominent artists recognize how good the place is as it has welcomed some of my favorite artists like Prince, Muse, or The Libertines.
Fun fact: The witloof was invented in the Botanique in Brussels!
Review of the Music at the Nuits Botanique
Attending the Nuits Botanique is a trip around the world and the musical genre.
I attended on May 14th and didn’t know any of the bands performing. However, you can trust the organizers of the Festival to bring up exciting bands.
The Chapiteau was dedicated to rap music with bands such as Larry, Criminal, and 13Mini. Those 3 French rappers had tremendous energy and took the crowd on an exciting journey.
The Grand Salon had its own ambience with Palestine and its minimalist music accompanied by teddy bears! The piano samples sacred songs from Palestine. The whole creation had mystic tones that were easy to get into.
The Orangerie was dedicated to Russian music, which in itself is ballsy given Ukraine’s conflict going on. ICE3PEAK regaled its fans with a mix of soft electro and goth music. Their fans were there in large numbers and made an effort to wear unique costumes for the concert.
The Rotonde saw a performance of Tarta Relena. Composed of 2 female singers from Catalonia, most of the concert was Acappella. The combination of both voices and the beautiful Rotonde venue generated quite an ambience. This was followed by Clara, DJ Python and Badista, who took the party late into the night.
On the 15ht was the awaited show of Pierre Lapointe. The audience and a piano alone accompanied the enveloping voice of Pierre Lapointe. Bathing in the waves of his tones, I let myself be led without resistance and savored with my eyes closed. In the course of the journey, along with his texts, a dangerous hollow in his voice materializes here and there.
Between two notes of music and humor, he apologizes, starts again, stops again, and then takes his leave. It was a bit shorter than expected due to a vocal issue. On a taste of too little (probably a few songs), I left the room talking with me these sweet moments that were too short but by God!
How to “do” les nuits Botaniques?
Unlike many music festivals, the tickets for Les Nuits Botanique allow you entrance to one of the four venues only. Most tickets cost less than 20 euros so I recommend getting a ticket for 2 or 3 venues so that you can experience the diversity of music on offer. Getting 2 or 3 tickets will still cost you less than most music festivals.
It allows you to roam between concerts. Given that all the venues are small and intimate, you always get a good view of the stage, even if you arrive during the middle of the concert.
Where to eat while attending Les Nuits Botaniques?
There are no great restaurants near the Botanique, so I recommend eating before the Brussels center or at the Festival.
Options in Brussels center include the wine bar des Marolles or la Fin de Siecles near avenue Louise.
3 food trucks are located within the festival ground. One offered sandwiches, the other Thai food, and the last one burgers from Vandierendonck, the most famous butcher in Belgium. We decided to eat there as the tables inside the Botanical garden have a good atmosphere, and the food was better than your average music festival food.
What to do in Brussels during the day while attending Les Nuits Botaniques?
Les Nuits Botaniques start every day at 18:30, which leaves you the whole day to explore Brussels.
Brussels is mostly about culture, history, and food.
Walking along the grand place and place des Palais is a must. A few museums are worth visiting: Musee de la Bande desinee ( cartoon museum), Musee Magritte, Museum of Fine Art, and the musical instrument Museum.
In terms of food. Try the fries.
Tip: The best fries in the world either on place Jourdan or Place Flagey ( but be ready to queue if you go during meal times)
For waffles and cakes, try Wittamer. For chocolate, Marcolini on the Sablon. And don’t forget the Belgian beers. Most bars around the grand place, place des Marolles, or place du Sablon, will have a wide selection of beer to choose from.
Where to stay in Brussels when attending Les Nuits Botaniques?
The St Josses neighborhood is not the friendliest place to stay in Brussels. If you want to do sightseeing during the day, I recommend staying in the area of Avenue Louise or the area of grand place. This will put you within walking distance from most things to see during your Brussels weekend.
I stayed at Le Louise Mgallery hotel and had a great stay. It is the old Sofitel that has been entirely renovated. You can read my review of the hotel here.
It has a great location near shops and restaurants and is only 10 minute drive from the Botanique.
How to get to the Botanique?
The best way is either by taxi/Uber or by metro. There is a metro stop 1 minute away from the Botanique, and the name of the metro stop is “Botanique”.
Tip: There can be many traffic jams in Brussels between 5 and 7 pm, so during that time, you will go faster with the metro
St Josse, the neighborhood where the Botanique is located, doesn’t have the best reputation, so if you are a woman traveling alone, I recommend using a Taxi or Uber on the way back home. Uber was readily available. I called one at the concert’s end, and it came within 5 minutes.
In Conclusion of, my review of Les Nuits Botaniques Music Festival
Attending Les Nuits Botaniques is the perfect excuse for a city trip to Brussels. Music lovers will appreciate all the bands’ discoveries and soak up the good vibe of the Festival. The programming and esthetical qualities of the concert halls make it a must-do event. And don’t forget to explore Brussels culture and gastronomy during the day.
Happy Festival!
For more information about European music festivals, read my review of the Colour of Ostrava in the Czech Republic.