One of the largest carnivals in Belgium. You know the drill: cheap entertainment, boxcars and arcade games, eating fat sweet food (like the local ‘smoutebollen’) and being sick afterwards in the spinning attractions. Definitely not the most tasteful event in Antwerp, but a good way to get an idea what the Antwerp Joe Average looks like when he’s having fun.

For more than a month, there’s music, movies, stunts and parties all over Antwerp’s hidden corners, like an industrial site in the harbor where everybody watches the sunset from a wooden stage. Usually there’s some pretty impressive street theatre as well and in the first three weeks of August, a big screen is set up near the river and some temporary sand-dunes are spread out under a large hangar. No cinema will ever beat this. But watch out: the ‘Summer’ is so popular that the bigger concerts and acts are sold out in no time. Prices vary, but movies and outdoor concerts are usually free.

In a big park on the outskirts of town we have an open-air amphitheatre with a stage surrounded by a fountain. We only use it in summer, and international acts are invited to play. Over the past years, artists like Bootsy Collins, Kurt Vile, Calexico and Patti Smith shared the stage.

Small alternative music festival in the heart of Borgerhout. During the day you can dance and vibe on live music in open air at Spoor Oost. Afterwards it’s night crawling in Trix. With a selection of local and not so local artists on the rise, your feet won’t stand still. Past artists included: Acid Arab, Daniel Wang, Tom Barman, Stuff., Sutherland,...

The Antwerp Queer Arts Festival is festival questioning sexual and gender identities. It does so by combining an artistic, activist and academic stance. And by inviting both local and international artists. Even if you’re not part of the LGBT community, it’s definitely worth your while.

Linkerwoofer, on the river’s left bank, is a typical Belgian festival with lots of Belgian bands, affordable drinks and a good vibe. A nice view on the Schelde river and the Antwerp skyline completes makes the experience. In the past, artists like De Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig, Novastar, Pieter Embrechts, Subway City and more came over.

Every year the Antwerp gay community puts on their naughty shoes and parties together in the streets. Rainbow flags, lots of kissing, weird and sexy outfits... No one is judged and everybody is welcome. So don’t be scared and come take a peak, gay people don’t bite (hard).

Expect the world’s best heavy bands, spread over three unique stages drenched in that underground atmosphere. Heavy rock, psycho and doom rendez-vous are all represented here. Beware of the sandstorm!

Crazy for Dries van Noten and Veronique Branquinho but always short on cash? We know the routine! The stylish but poor might want to know that stock sales are organised twice a year spread over the North of town. In order to create some space in their warehouses, Antwerp’s most famous designers sell their leftover stock at reduced prices: you might walk out fully dressed for the money normally spent on underwear (fashionable underwear, that is).