In this guide
💡 The Short Version: May to September have the most sun, 154 to 203 hours a month, and July and August are the warmest, with a mean daily maximum of 23°C. April is the driest month, at 46.7 mm on 13 rain days, but it rains in every month and on about 190 days a year. December is the wettest and darkest, with 49 hours of sun and about 8 hours of daylight. Winter Wonders runs from 27 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. The Jazz Weekend is 21 to 23 May 2027 (free), National Day is Wednesday 21 July, and the Belgian Beer Weekend is 3 to 5 September 2027. There is no Flower Carpet in 2027. Or book a walk: the guided walking tourad is from €25 (GetYourGuide).
Brussels month by month
The figures are the Royal Meteorological Institute’s (KMI in Dutch, IRM in French) normals for 1991 to 2020 at its Uccle station, the Brussels reference. Uccle is in the south of the region, not at the Grand-Place. Highs and lows are the mean daily maximum and minimum in °C, rain is the monthly total in mm with the number of days with rain, and sun is the hours in the month. Sunrise and sunset are approximate times for the 15th, calculated for Brussels, in local time.
| Month | High / low | Rain | Sun | Sunrise to sunset | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | 9.9 / 4.6 | 76.2 mm, 18.3 days | 66 h | 07:57 to 16:58 | Winter Wonders opens on Friday 27 November. The clocks went back on 25 October |
| December 2026 | 6.6 / 2.1 | 87.4 mm, 19.4 days | 49 h | 08:38 to 16:37 | The wettest month. The market closes at 18:00 on 24 and 31 December. Museum closures on 24, 25 and 31 December |
| January 2027 | 6.1 / 1.4 | 75.5 mm, 18.9 days | 59 h | 08:39 to 17:03 | The coldest month. Winter Wonders ends on Sunday 3 January. Mini-Europe closes on the 4th, Choco-Story from 4 to 15 January, the Atomium from 18 January to 5 February |
| February 2027 | 7.1 / 1.5 | 65.1 mm, 16.9 days | 73 h | 07:57 to 17:57 | Snow on 4.9 days on average |
| March 2027 | 10.9 / 3.5 | 59.3 mm, 15.7 days | 126 h | 06:59 to 18:46 | The clocks go forward on Sunday 28 March. Easter Monday is 29 March |
| April 2027 | 15.0 / 6.0 | 46.7 mm, 13.1 days | 171 h | 06:50 to 20:36 | The driest month. The Royal Greenhouses of Laeken open for about three weeks in spring |
| May 2027 | 18.4 / 9.2 | 59.7 mm, 14.7 days | 198 h | 05:54 to 21:23 | The Jazz Weekend from 21 to 23 May. The 20 km de Bruxelles on Sunday 30 May. Brussels Pride, in May |
| June 2027 | 21.2 / 12.0 | 70.8 mm, 14.1 days | 199 h | 05:28 to 21:57 | The longest days, about 16.5 hours of daylight |
| July 2027 | 23.2 / 14.1 | 76.9 mm, 14.3 days | 203 h | 05:45 to 21:52 | The warmest and sunniest month. The Ommegang in early July, National Day on Wednesday 21 July, and the Royal Palace’s summer opening |
| August 2027 | 23.0 / 13.9 | 86.5 mm, 14.3 days | 192 h | 06:29 to 21:06 | The wettest summer month. The Meyboom on Monday 9 August. No Flower Carpet until 2028 |
| September 2027 | 19.5 / 11.3 | 65.3 mm, 14.1 days | 154 h | 07:16 to 20:00 | The Belgian Beer Weekend from 3 to 5 September |
| October 2027 | 14.9 / 8.1 | 67.8 mm, 16.1 days | 113 h | 08:04 to 18:53 | The clocks go back on Sunday 31 October |
The lake in the Bois de la Cambre in autumn. Photo: Aktron, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
The weather in numbers
- There is no dry season. The year adds up to about 837 mm over about 190 days with rain. December (87.4 mm) and August (86.5 mm) are the wettest months, and April (46.7 mm) the driest.
- Warm months. July and August have a mean daily maximum of 23°C. The year averages 30 summer days, when the maximum reaches 25°C, against 20 in 1961 to 1990, according to the Institute. July has 10, August 8, June 5.7.
- Sunshine. About 1,600 hours a year: 203 in July, 199 in June and 198 in May, against 59 in January and 49 in December.
- Cold. Frost falls on 10.8 days in January and 9.3 in February, and snow on 17 days a year, including 3.8 days in January and 4.9 in February.
- Daylight. About 8 hours at the winter solstice, with sunrise at about 08:42 and sunset at about 16:39 on 21 December, and about 16.5 hours at midsummer, with sunrise at about 05:28 and sunset at about 22:00 on 21 June.
- Clocks. Belgium changes on the last Sunday of October and March: 25 October 2026, 28 March 2027 and 31 October 2027.
Snow in the Parc Parmentier, in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre. Photo: Guy Delsaut, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Dates that shape a visit
Christmas and New Year
Winter Wonders runs from 27 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. See Brussels Christmas markets 2026 and Brussels on New Year’s Eve 2026.
Easter and the public holidays
Belgium’s public holidays are 1 January, Easter Monday, 1 May, Ascension, Whit Monday, 21 July, 15 August, 1 November, 11 November and 25 December. In 2027 Easter Sunday is 28 March, Easter Monday 29 March, Ascension Thursday 6 May and Whit Monday 17 May; 1 May is a Saturday, 21 July a Wednesday and 15 August a Sunday. Most museums close on 1 January and 25 December, and the federal museums also on 1 May and 11 November: see what to book before you go to Brussels.
Spring: the Royal Greenhouses
The Royal Greenhouses of Laeken open for about three weeks in spring, and the dates are announced early in the year. See the Royal Palace and the Royal Greenhouses.
The Lotto Brussels Jazz Weekend
Friday 21 to Sunday 23 May 2027 · free
The organiser says that every year, at the end of May, jazz fills the city: concerts in the open air on the Grand-Place, Place Sainte-Catherine and Place de la Bourse, and in bars and clubs across the city. It is free and open to all. The weekend fills the squares that Winter Wonders also uses, so the hotels near them book up: see hotels near the Grand-Place.
The 20 km de Bruxelles
On Sunday 30 May 2027, the 47th edition, with registration opening in early 2027, according to the organiser. Roads close on race morning.
Belgian National Day
Wednesday 21 July 2027 · free
The date is fixed by law. The 2026 programme, from the organiser 2107.be, was: an inauguration by the authorities at 11:00 on Place Royale, a military and civil parade at 16:00, the Fête au Parc from 10:00 to 20:00, and a concert and fireworks at the Cinquantenaire at 21:00, all free. The Royal Palace opens for about six weeks each summer.
The Ommegang
Early July · Grand-Place
The Ommegang is a historical pageant of about 1,200 participants in costume, evoking the presentation of Charles V and his son, the future Philip II, in Brussels. In 2026 the show was on Wednesday 1 and Friday 3 July at 21:00, with doors at 19:30, and the procession set off at 20:30 from the Royal Park and the Sablon. It is held in early July each year. See the Grand-Place.
The Meyboom
Monday 9 August 2027
A tree-planting tradition held every year on 9 August: the tree has to be up by 17:00 at the corner of Rue des Sables and Rue du Marais, and the celebration runs until dawn, according to the Brussels Region. It is a UNESCO-recognised tradition.
The Flower Carpet
Every second year, on the weekend of 15 August. The 24th edition ran from 13 to 16 August 2026, a carpet of 1,680 m² with a Japanese theme. The next is in 2028, so there is none in 2027.
The Belgian Beer Weekend
Friday 3 to Sunday 5 September 2027 · Grand-Place
The 27th edition, with entry free and the beers paid for with tokens at €2 each or a prepaid card, according to the organiser, and more than 50 breweries. The Toer de Geuze, when the gueuze breweries open their doors, is biennial and its next edition is in 2028. See Brussels beer bars.
Strikes
The UK Foreign Office says general strikes took place on 9 and 12 October 2026 and that strike action may be announced at short notice. Check STIB and SNCB before a journey on a strike day: see Brussels public transport.
Which month for what
- Museums and fewer crowds: January to March, with the Monday closures and the Atomium’s maintenance closure from 18 January to 5 February.
- Sun and long evenings: May to September, with the Jazz Weekend in May.
- Christmas: late November to 3 January, with the market in the centre.
- A quiet city: November, before Winter Wonders opens.
Plan the rest
Where to stay in Brussels compares the areas, and 3 days in Brussels fits the sights round the closed days. What to book before you go to Brussels has the entry rules, and London to Brussels by Eurostar has the way in.
Common questions
What is the best month to visit Brussels?
May to September have the most sun, 154 to 203 hours a month, and July and August are the warmest, with a mean daily maximum of 23°C. April is the driest month, with 46.7 mm of rain on 13 rain days. No month is dry: it rains on about 190 days a year.
How cold is Brussels in winter?
January is the coldest month, with a mean daily maximum of 6.1°C and a minimum of 1.4°C, and snow on 3.8 days. December and January have under 60 hours of sun in the month.
When is the Brussels Christmas market?
Winter Wonders runs from 27 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, daily from 12:00 to 22:00, and to 18:00 on 24 and 31 December and 3 January.
When is Belgian National Day?
21 July, a Wednesday in 2027. The 2026 programme was free: an inauguration at 11:00 on Place Royale, a military and civil parade at 16:00, the Fête au Parc from 10:00 to 20:00, and a concert and fireworks at the Cinquantenaire at 21:00.
When is the Brussels Flower Carpet?
Every second year on the weekend of 15 August. The 24th edition ran from 13 to 16 August 2026, so there is no carpet in 2027. The next is in 2028.
When is the Lotto Brussels Jazz Weekend in 2027?
Friday 21 to Sunday 23 May 2027. The organiser says it is free, with open-air concerts on the Grand-Place, Place Sainte-Catherine and Place de la Bourse and in bars and clubs across the city.
Which museums close on Mondays in Brussels?
The Magritte Museum, the Old Masters Museum, the Musical Instruments Museum, the Art & History Museum, the Comic Art Museum, the Horta Museum, the City Museum and Train World. See what to book before you go to Brussels for the week grid.
