Bruxellons! 2026 brings musicals, magic and summer theatre back to Molenbeek

The Bruxellons! 2026 festival is shaping up to be a big summer for live performance in Brussels, and the lineup makes that very clear. Running from 9 July to 20 September 2026 at the Château du Karreveld, the festival mixes large-scale musical theatre, intimate shows and musical evenings under the stars.

Two titles stand out immediately: Kinky Boots, the festival’s major summer musical, and John & Jen, a smaller but emotionally charged piece that adds a more intimate counterpoint to the programme. Alongside them, Jack Cooper brings a different kind of stagecraft altogether, with illusion, humour and mentalism.

Kinky Boots leads the musical charge

Bruxellons! presents Kinky Boots as its flagship musical for 2026, with a full run in the festival’s courtyard from 9 July and a production that the team explicitly frames as flamboyant, deeply human and driven by a strong message of tolerance. The festival’s own history page notes that it has been producing a major musical every summer since 2015, making this part of the programme central to the festival’s identity.

That matters because Kinky Boots is exactly the sort of show that can anchor a summer cultural season: it is crowd-friendly, emotionally clear and stylistically bold. For Ket, it is also the most obvious queer-friendly draw in the programme, with its celebration of difference and self-expression.

John & Jen adds intimacy

If Kinky Boots brings the scale, John & Jen offers a more chamber-like musical experience. The production appears in the festival’s official programme as a separate musical event, and its presence helps broaden the festival beyond the big headline title.

That contrast is one of the reasons the 2026 edition feels worth watching closely. Bruxellons! is not simply stacking titles; it is using the season to move between spectacle and smaller-scale emotional storytelling. In other words: not just one big musical, but a full musical ecosystem.

Jack Cooper brings the illusion

On the other side of the spectrum, Jack Cooper with “ Tout est écrit ” a live show built around telepathy, transformism, card magic, shadow theatre and mentalism. The show is described as funny, mysterious, dangerous and emotionally surprising, which makes it feel like a perfect palate cleanser between musical theatre evenings.

That diversity is exactly what gives the festival its shape. A programme that includes a large-scale musical, a more intimate musical and a magic show is not just varied; it reflects a real desire to keep live performance open, accessible and unpredictable. Jack Cooper’s presence also adds a family-friendly but still theatrical dimension to the season.

A festival with a broad appeal

Bruxellons! has always sold itself as “the theatre festival of the summer,” and the 2026 edition stays true to that promise by putting musicals at the centre while leaving room for other forms of stage performance. The festival’s programming logic is clear: create a summer destination where you can come for the big title and stay for the surprises.

For Ket, the strongest angle is how naturally the programme combines queer-friendly glamour, serious musical theatre and theatrical illusion. Whether it is the energy of Kinky Boots, the emotional pull of John & Jen, or the live surprise of Jack Cooper, Bruxellons! 2026 is asking Brussels audiences to spend their summer nights in front of a stage.

Useful links

Jack Cooper project page

Bruxellons! 2026 programme

Festival home page

Kinky Boots at Bruxellons!

KET Magazine is a community‑driven, non‑profit magazine run by volunteers based in Brussels. Get in touch to share your thoughts or tell us about your activities. You can also promote your events on our website or support our work with a donation. Contact us at Info@ket.brussels.