Each season, all year round, Antwerp is alive with music!
On street corners, in music clubs, in open air during the summer months, in small or large concert venues … music is everywhere! Antwerp boasts clubs like the Crossroads Café or the Kid’s Rythm & Blues Bar where you can enjoy weekly jam sessions by leading Antwerp musicians or free live performances by smaller bands. ‘De Roma’ is another great and inexpensive option for seeing some of the world’s finest musicians in all kinds of musical genres like jazz, classical music or even Flamenco. The Arenberg Theatre or their summer residence the ‘Openluchttheater’ have an impressive programme of well known artists all year round whereas rock and pop temple Trix offers national or international beginning bands a shot at fame! And of course Antwerp has it’s very own temple for the big international rockstars : the Sportpaleis and the smaller Lotto Arena. And if we say stars, we mean stars! Some of the concerts programmed for the upcoming spring months are none other than Grace Jones, Rihanna, Mika, Alicia Keys, Black Eyed Peas, Eric Clapton, Whithey Houston and Michael Bublé.
The people of Antwerp have always had a reputation for being gourmets. Because of its unique location, in the 16th century – the “Golden Age” – Antwerp was a port where all types of foodstuffs, drinks, herbs and spices from distant lands arrived. Even today a wide range of exotic foods is still on sale in Antwerp. The majority of Antwerp restaurants tend to go in the direction of the French cuisine, with the addition of a few fine Belgian touches or the use of typical Belgian ingredients. However, in this cosmopolitan city you’ll find a whole range of European, ethnic and biological cuisine as well as restaurant experimenting with the latest food fads. The greatest concentration of places to eat is in the areas around the historic city centre, the central station and the South quarter of Antwerp.