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Neighbourhood life

Belgium building

Discussing iconic Belgian architecture with urban planners, architects, writers and curators.

Do the right thing

Weekly listings of exhibitions, concerts, openings, parties and events to do over the weekend.

Area codes

Local heroes reveal their favourite neighbourhood hotspots and hangouts – from bars and bookshops to restaurants and galleries.

This is Belgium

The best Belgian-only art, food, photography, music, travel, architecture and neighbourhood tips from the magazine’s team of editors.

hub heroes

We team up with hub.brussels, Brussels’ Business Support Agency, and shine a light on 50 of the Region’s start-up success stories driving the capital city’s economic landscape forward. From the eco-conscious manufacturer to the technology-enabled post-production imprint, our 50-strong selection of portraits and interviews plays testament to the Region’s dense and dynamic culture of entrepreneurship.

The Brussels Bike Hundred

We’re teaming up with Bike for Brussels to put together a 100-strong selection of local heroes shaping the city each in their own way. From designers and DJs to performers and publishers, these are the creatives riding Brussels forward.

The Mechelen Hundred

Nestled between Brussels and Antwerp, Mechelen has often been overshadowed by its larger neighbours. Yet teaming up with the City of Mechelen, our line-up of 100 of the city’s most prominent people, places and projects proves the extent of its potential. From artists and creatives to critical thinkers and fighters, these are the powerhouses driving Mechelen forward one step at a time.

The House Hundred

We’re teaming up with Bulldog to select 100 essential people, places and projects in Belgian house music. From producers and DJs to record labels and festivals, these are the forces driving the homegrown house scene forward, one BPM at a time.

The Leuven Hundreds

We’ve joined forces with Leuven to highlight 100 local people, places and projects that contribute towards making the city what it is today. From artists and architects to producers and professors, these are the driving forces powering Leuven forward one ingenious initiative at a time.

The Antwerp Hundreds

We've teamed up with This is Antwerp to bring you The Antwerp Hundreds, a 100-strong selection of local movers and shakers setting the tone for the neighbourhood of tomorrow.

Art

On-design

An in-depth look at the work of Belgian design studios, published monthly.

Favourite Belgian movies

Selections of essential Belgian movies handpicked by artistic directors, curators and all-round cinema connoisseurs.

Curator talks

Intimate conversations with curators dissecting the ambitions, intentions and narratives of their recently opened exhibitions.

Exhibition reviews

Visual documentaries of recently opened contemporary art exhibitions in Belgium.

Portfolio reports

Reviewing the practice of Belgium-based artists through in-depth looks at their recent works.

Studio visits

Exploring the environments and artistic spaces of some of the country’s foremost contemporary artists.

The art throwaway project

Insights into the lives of local contemporary art movers and shakers through our office Quicksnaps.

Music

Exclusive mixes

Hour-long mixes recorded by the crème de la crème of Belgian DJs and producers exclusively for us.

Favourite Belgian releases

Selections of essential Belgian tracks handpicked by local tastemakers, from DJs and producers to record label heads and record store clerks.

The music throwaway project

Backstage antics, tour tales and onstage adventures with some of the country’s most exciting musical talents captured with our office Quicksnaps.

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menu The Word Magazine

Neighbourhood life, 
art and music
made in Belgium

Follow us

Art
Silent treatment: The story of a woman’s quest for spirituality

Silent treatment: The story of a woman’s quest for spirituality

Eva Donckers ventures to a little village in the Ardennes, and learns about Irma's life-changing experiences at the Asharum.

Neighbourhood life
Why it’s time to turn a page on The Word Magazine

Why it’s time to turn a page on The Word Magazine

After over 10 years of publishing The Word Magazine, we've decided to turn a page and focus exclusively on The Word Radio. Here's why. 

Neighbourhood life
Royal Museum for Central Africa: Can curatorial re-alignment make good on decades of colonial propaganda?

Royal Museum for Central Africa: Can curatorial re-alignment make good on decades of colonial propaganda?

Tervuren’s famed Royal Museum for Central Africa has reopened its doors to an eager public, promising “a contemporary and ‘decolonised’ vision of Africa.” Is the museum indeed finally offering new perspectives on collections that for decades were violently reduced to a colonial identity?

Neighbourhood life This is Belgium
Immortalising dancefloor memories: Nightlife anecdotes and club flyer designs

Immortalising dancefloor memories: Nightlife anecdotes and club flyer designs

To coincide with the opening of Designing the Night at ADAM, we team up with design historian and the show’s curator Katarina Serulus and ask a few committed archivists to submit their iconic club flyers.

Music
The Word x Canon present Nightshift

The Word x Canon present Nightshift

To mark the recent launch of Canon’s EOS R System camera, we tasked photographer Eva Donckers with capturing the full-blown, dark-tinted beauty of Brussels nightlife in one straight night with a subtle, sharp and uncompromising eye.

Art Portfolio reports
Forlorn photography and brutalist structures: Max Kesteloot’s House Van Wassenhove residency

Forlorn photography and brutalist structures: Max Kesteloot’s House Van Wassenhove residency

As part of the contemporary art centre's Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens residency programme, we visit Max Kesteloot in the comfort of his new address to discuss his artistic practice and how to inhabit House Van Wassenhove.

30 things to do in Belgium this weekend

30 things to do in Belgium this weekend

USB runways in Brussels, transcendent art in Antwerp and poetic cinematography in Leuven. Go do the right thing.

Neighbourhood life
Clean air and concrete: A look into Bureau Bas Smets

Clean air and concrete: A look into Bureau Bas Smets

In this second installment of a brand new series enquiring some of the country's most innovative architecture firms, we sit down with Bas Smets to discuss the versatility of the new Madou-based workspace to his latest projects, as the office is celebrating their 10-year anniversary. 

Neighbourhood life
All-in-ones: The slashers reinventing the work-life balance

All-in-ones: The slashers reinventing the work-life balance

Continuing our collaborative series with Rémy Martin, we meet up with an editor-turned-freelancer and an organiser of all sorts.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing
30 things to do in Belgium this weekend

30 things to do in Belgium this weekend

Birthday celebrations in Brussels, A4 print mania in Liège and upbeat tempos in Leuven. Go do the right thing.

Music
“The watch is for everyone. I wanted to create one that didn’t box you into specific style.” DVTCH NORRIS’ custom-made Swatch.

“The watch is for everyone. I wanted to create one that didn’t box you into specific style.” DVTCH NORRIS’ custom-made Swatch.

We teamed up with Swatch and asked hip-hop prodigy DVTCH NORRIS to handpick his favourite canvas, create his signature watch and tell the story behind it.

Neighbourhood life This is Belgium
30 things to do in Belgium this weekend

30 things to do in Belgium this weekend

Grand openings in Ghent, silent statues in Antwerp and triple visual trouble in Charleroi. Go do the right thing.

Neighbourhood life
Colour me Belgium: A visual reportage of Belgian diasporas

Colour me Belgium: A visual reportage of Belgian diasporas

We tasked recent photographic recruit Max Meyer with scanning the country’s streets in search for the most obvious sign of import-export love.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing
20 things to do in Belgium this weekend

20 things to do in Belgium this weekend

Heartwarming inaugurations in Brussels, psychadelics at large in Mechelen and poetic shadows in Antwerp. Go do the right thing.

Neighbourhood life
Mouse in one hand, pencil in the other: Behind the scenes of GAFPA

Mouse in one hand, pencil in the other: Behind the scenes of GAFPA

In this pioneering instalment of a brand new series enquiring some of the country's most innovative architecture firms, we sit down with GAFPA to examine their intensive career whereby they explored all architecture perspectives, from pedagogy and exhibitions to private commissions and interdisciplinary collaborations.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing
20 things to do in Belgium this weekend

20 things to do in Belgium this weekend

Club openings in Antwerp, all-nighters in Hasselt and local heroes in Brussels. Start the new year's right and go do the right thing.

Neighbourhood life
Pictures from The Word Radio presents A Day of Percussive Expression

Pictures from The Word Radio presents A Day of Percussive Expression

Here's a selection of photos from The Word Radio presents A Day of Percussive Expression.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing
40 things to do in Belgium this winter

40 things to do in Belgium this winter

Art shows aplenty in Antwerp, grand masters in Liège and spicey NYE parties in Brussels. Go do the right thing this winter.

Neighbourhood life
Class of ’18 – Part III

Class of ’18 – Part III

From smart festivals to double entendre videos, this is the final batch of our 25 most prominent figures and collectives shaking things up in Belgium this year.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing
20 things to do in Belgium this weekend

20 things to do in Belgium this weekend

Museum reopenings in Tervuren, synth-pop delights in Ghent and heartwearming heat in Brussels. Go do the right thing.

Neighbourhood life
Class of ’18 – Part II

Class of ’18 – Part II

From political riffs to guerilla activists, this is the second batch of our 25 most prominent figures and collectives shaking things up in Belgium this year.

Neighbourhood life
Class of ’18 – Part I

Class of ’18 – Part I

From queer love to underground snapshots, this is the first batch of our 25 most prominent figures and collectives shaking things up in Belgium this year.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing
25 things to do in Belgium this weekend

25 things to do in Belgium this weekend

All-night warehouse shindigs in Ghent, sex-positive thoughts in Brussels and birthday parties in Charleroi. Go do the right thing.

Neighbourhood life
Message on a Post-it

Message on a Post-it

A declaration of love, anger and hope on the square-shaped medium of Post-its.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing
25 things to do in Belgium this weekend

25 things to do in Belgium this weekend

Apocalyptic theatre in Liège, post-truth experiments in Brussels and seaside paper art in Ostend. Go do the right thing.

Neighbourhood life
Switching lanes

Switching lanes

From the financial analyst-turned-butcher to the designer making a jump to the music industry and the in-house textile designer going freelance all the way, these are the people that go the extra mile.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing
25 things to do in Belgium this weekend

25 things to do in Belgium this weekend

Simple sonic love in Brussels, synth-pop delights in Antwerp and young friends in Ghent. Go do the right thing.

Neighbourhood life
A work-in-progress: The challenges ahead for Europe

A work-in-progress: The challenges ahead for Europe

What are the challenges lying ahead for Europe and how can we solve them?

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing
20 things to do in Belgium this weekend

20 things to do in Belgium this weekend

Festival fun in Brussels, basement parties in Ghent and radical acoustics in Antwerp. Go do the right thing.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing
20 things to do in Belgium this weekend

20 things to do in Belgium this weekend

Dark corners in Brussels, festival walks through Namur and thoughtful art in Antwerp. With an extra day to spare, go do the right thing.

Neighbourhood life
Pictures from The Word Radio presents A Day of Protest Music

Pictures from The Word Radio presents A Day of Protest Music

Here's a selection of pictures from The Word Radio presents A Day of Protest Music.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing
30 things to do in Belgium this weekend

30 things to do in Belgium this weekend

Literary festivals in Charleroi, pre-emptive moves in Mechelen, and The Word Radio takeovers in Brussels. Go do the right thing.

Neighbourhood life This is Belgium
8 top restaurants to explore European cuisine in Belgium

8 top restaurants to explore European cuisine in Belgium

From Croation, British, Polish and Bulgarian food to Greek, Maltese, Portuguese and Austrian dishes, we've toured the country in search of home-cooked European flavours.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing
25 things to do in Belgium this weekend

25 things to do in Belgium this weekend

All-nighters in Liège, piping hot new talents in Antwerp and our very own protest soirée at The Word. Go do the right thing.

Art
A new European narrative: Traumnovelle, the Brussels-based architectural collective drawing on fiction to kick Europe into action

A new European narrative: Traumnovelle, the Brussels-based architectural collective drawing on fiction to kick Europe into action

As Traumnovelle’s first financed and selected project for the 16th Venice Biennale of Architecture’s Belgian Pavilion, Eurotopie serves as a call to arms, arousing the sleepy citizens of Europe into a politically committed and engaged population.

Neighbourhood life
Berlin is coming

Berlin is coming

Taste.brussels brings a Berlin touch to the capital, refreshing the already vibrant Dansaert area with a breath of fresh Kreuzberg air.

Neighbourhood life Area codes
Bereklauw: A post-modern attempt at rebellion

Bereklauw: A post-modern attempt at rebellion

Bereklauw offers more than loud music and isolation to the observant eye: backstage, an attempt at subverting daily life is in the motions.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing
20 things to do in Belgium this weekend

20 things to do in Belgium this weekend

Brewerie takeovers in offices in Brussels, red carpet treatments in Ghent and abstract expressionism in Deurle. Go do the right thing.

Neighbourhood life
All-in-ones: The slashers re-inventing the work-life balance

All-in-ones: The slashers re-inventing the work-life balance

Continuing our collaborative series of interviews with Rémy Martin, we speak time-management tips and tricks with a beatmaker, creative director and label co-owner, as well as a multidisciplinary artist with a taste for social engagement.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing
30 things to do in Belgium this weekend

30 things to do in Belgium this weekend

Family and friends in Oudenaarde, critical design in Liège and The Word Radio takeovers in Leuven. Go do the right thing.

Neighbourhood life
The night we turned ten

The night we turned ten

Photographs from last week's birthday bash at C12.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing
25 things to do in Belgium this weekend

25 things to do in Belgium this weekend

Non-stop revitalisation in Leuven, visual disobedience in Charleroi and The Word Radio takeovers in Brussels. Go do the right thing.

Art
Czech Centre Brussels director Jitka Pánek Jurková’s five design reasons to visit Prague

Czech Centre Brussels director Jitka Pánek Jurková’s five design reasons to visit Prague

With their latest grand exhibition 100Czech: The Story of Czech design nearing its opening date, the Czech Centre’s director Jitka Pánek Jurková lets us in on the mastery that is Czech design, and its beautiful manifestations in Prague.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing
20 things to do in Belgium this weekend

20 things to do in Belgium this weekend

Timeless jazz in Brussels, collective social justice in Antwerp and three-by-threes in Liège. Go do the right thing.

Music
Five reasons not to miss Nuits Sonores & European Lab Brussels 2018

Five reasons not to miss Nuits Sonores & European Lab Brussels 2018

With so much to cover, we distil five essential points to keep in mind for Nuits Sonores & European Lab Brussels’ second impressive feast on all things electronica.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing
30 things to do this weekend in Belgium

30 things to do this weekend in Belgium

Grand museum openings in Redu, New Beat revivals in Destelbergen and back-to-school exhibition openings in Brussels. Go do the right thing.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing
20 things to do in Belgium this weekend

20 things to do in Belgium this weekend

Futuristic curation in Ghent, contemporary theatre in a seed factory in Mechelen and sonic art in Antwerp. Go do the right thing.

Music
“Music has the power to influence people’s mood, just as fashion does.” How Hermès aims to strengthen the bond between silk and music

“Music has the power to influence people’s mood, just as fashion does.” How Hermès aims to strengthen the bond between silk and music

The Word Radio recently collaborated with Hermès for their 10-day pop up record store Silk Mix. We put a few questions to Christophe Goineau, creative director of men’s silk at Hermès, and Thierry Planelle, the man behind the men’s ready-to-wear runway soundtracks to talk about fashion’s lasting love affair with music.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing
10 things to do in Belgium this weekend

10 things to do in Belgium this weekend

Grand re-openings in Brussels, gritty performance art in Antwerp and artistic adventures in Ghent. Go do the right thing.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing
15 things to do in Belgium this weekend

15 things to do in Belgium this weekend

New locations in Ghent, remedies for the soul in Brussels and a power plant party in Zwevegem. Go do the right thing.

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The Word Magazine is Belgium’s leading English-speaking free media platform, documenting and championing the best in neighbourhood living, music and art. Published every two months, the magazine is distributed in over 500 distribution points across the country.

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