{"id":52460,"date":"2026-05-03T06:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T05:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ket.brussels\/?p=52460"},"modified":"2026-05-03T16:54:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T15:54:17","slug":"bruxellons-2026-brings-musicals-magic-and-summer-theatre-back-to-molenbeek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ket.brussels\/en\/2026\/05\/03\/bruxellons-2026-brings-musicals-magic-and-summer-theatre-back-to-molenbeek\/","title":{"rendered":"Bruxellons! 2026 brings musicals, magic and summer theatre back to Molenbeek"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Bruxellons! 2026 festival<\/a> 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 Ch\u00e2teau du Karreveld, the festival mixes large-scale musical theatre, intimate shows and musical evenings under the stars.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two titles stand out immediately: Kinky Boots<\/strong>, the festival\u2019s major summer musical, and John & Jen<\/strong>, a smaller but emotionally charged piece that adds a more intimate counterpoint to the programme. Alongside them, Jack Cooper<\/strong> brings a different kind of stagecraft altogether, with illusion, humour and mentalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kinky Boots leads the musical charge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bruxellons! presents Kinky Boots<\/strong> as its flagship musical for 2026, with a full run in the festival\u2019s courtyard from 9 July<\/strong> and a production that the team explicitly frames as flamboyant, deeply human and driven by a strong message of tolerance. The festival\u2019s 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\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE PROGRAMM<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

John & Jen adds intimacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If Kinky Boots<\/strong> brings the scale, John & Jen<\/strong> offers a more chamber-like musical experience. The production appears in the festival\u2019s official programme as a separate musical event, and its presence helps broaden the festival beyond the big headline title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n