LLB National Day - Come explore Brussels!

Celebrate Belgian National Day with Language Buddies in Brussels! Join us for a full day of Belgian traditions, culture, food, and festivities as we explore the capital together. Whether you're new to Belgium or have lived here for years, this is a great opportunity to experience the National Day celebrations, meet new people, and enjoy everything from the military parade to the evening concert at Cinquantenaire. We'll travel together from Leuven, spend the day discovering Brussels at a relaxed pace, and end the evening celebrating with live Belgian music before heading back home by train. You're welcome to join us for the entire day or only for the parts that interest you. Everyone is welcome; bring your curiosity, comfortable walking shoes, and your Belgian spirit! Schedule: 9h: we leave Leuven on track C on the 9.18 train with destination "De Panne". This is train IC3632. Please be on time! The train won't wait for you. You'll find Ward (your host) at the start of the platform. 10h: Upon arrival in Brussels, we'll grab a coffee and decide together how we'd like to spend the morning. Depending on everyone's interests, we may split into smaller groups and meet again for lunch. We can split up as well. You can visit the Parliament (free) You can strawl through the Warande Park, with a bunch of parades, animations, things to do... (free) We can visit a museum such as Autoworld (next to Cinquantenaire) (€) We can visit Manneken Pis, walk over the Brouckère (free) and enjoy a waffle. ~ 13h: We'll find a nice place for a Belgian lunch together. 15h: we position ourselves to see the military parade. 16h: we try to catch a glimpse of the military parade going through the streets of Brussels 17h: we have dinner in the City Center. 19h: we walk towards the Park Cinquantenaire (Jubelpark). We enjoy the evening concert featuring Belgian artists and celebrate Belgian National Day together! 23h: we take the last train back from "Brussel-Luxemburg" back to "Leuven". FAQ: Do I have to stay the entire day? Off course not! Don't feel like partying? You can take a train back to Leuven any time you want! Just let us know so we don't worry when you're missing. ;) Are there any other costs? No, the défilé is free (at least where we'll glimpse). The party at Cinquentenaire has no entry fee as well. Drinks/food/... are on you off course. Train tickets are pretty affordable in Belgium. "Help! I missed the train?" Try to contact the hosts, who can share their live location so you can catch up. There are frequent trains between Leuven and Brussels, so catching up with the group is usually easy. Practical: Please buy your train ticket from "Leuven" to "Brussel-Centraal" in advance. If you need help with this, let us know and we can buy it together. Look into Train+ when buying the ticket, it can save you money! For those who stay until the party, your ticket back to Leuven should be booked from “Brussel-Luxemburg” to “Leuven”. The last train leaves that station at 23h35. If you want to stay a little longer, the last train leaving Brussel Centraal departs at 00h25. We suggest you buy your return ticket right before boarding, as the stations depend on when you return home. It is no longer possible to buy tickets in the train. You should have a ticket before arriving on the platform. Student? Teacher? EDC? Bring your card! A lot of places that we could visit have reductions. Take care of yourself! Bring a reusable water bottle, snacks, cap/umbrella depending on the weather. A powerbank can also be useful. Belgian law requires you to carry ID with you. It might be asked before we can enter a building. Brussels gets very busy on National Day. Please keep an eye on each others' belongings and stay hydrated if the weather is warm.