New Year's Eve 2026 (oud en nieuw) · Belgium
Your guide to New Year's Eve 2026
What you may set off on New Year's Eve, where fireworks are banned, where to watch a show, how to celebrate safely and get home, and how to approach the New Year's dive.
What you may set off
Belgium has no nationwide fireworks ban for private people on New Year's Eve; the city of Ghent notes on its own page that fireworks can be sold freely in Belgium and calls for a federal rule. What you may set off is decided by your municipality: whether it is allowed, where and when. Those rules change almost every year.
The Brussels-Capital Region bans setting off fireworks on its whole territory, also on private ground, and points to an organised show as the safe alternative. Ghent says on its page that fireworks are only allowed there on New Year's night between midnight and 1 a.m. In Mechelen private fireworks are banned, and since 2025 that also holds on New Year's night. Bruges, Ostend and Roeselare banned setting off your own fireworks during the whole end-of-year period at the end of 2025. New decisions apply for the coming turn of the year.
Source: Stad Gent, Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, Stad Mechelen, VRT NWS
Where fireworks are banned
Besides banning setting them off, a municipality can restrict carrying or possessing fireworks in public space. In 2023 the Brussels-Capital Region banned possessing and using fireworks in public space from 15 December to 3 January, and Ghent restricted possession in public space in the evenings between mid-October and the end of January.
In the five Flemish provincial capitals (Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Hasselt and Leuven) fireworks are as a rule permanently banned outside organised shows, unless the city decides otherwise. Some municipalities around Antwerp allow them: at the end of 2025 Lier still let private people set off fireworks on New Year's night without a prior request. Look up your municipality's police regulation before you buy anything.
Where to watch fireworks
The safest way to see fireworks is at a public show: fireworks, drone and light shows and countdowns on big squares. Our list and map have every show we know of, confirmed ones first. Antwerp's winter programme, Winter in Antwerp, has included a public New Year's fireworks show.
Come early, stay behind the barriers and check the official page again on the night itself: wind and storms can cancel a show at the last minute.
Source: The Brussels Times
Safety
Light sparklers outdoors, one at a time, at arm's length, and drop the burnt wire in a bucket of water: it stays hot for a while. Keep sparklers away from children's faces, hair and loose clothes.
Only set off fireworks outdoors and well away from people and buildings. Do not touch duds or light them again: pour water over them. In an emergency call 112, and 101 for the police in urgent cases.
Source: Vlaanderen.be
Trains, trams and buses on New Year's Eve
Whether extra or longer services run in the night of 31 December differs from year to year and from operator to operator. Check that night's timetable in the app of NMBS/SNCB, De Lijn or, in Brussels, MIVB/STIB before you leave.
Plan the way back beforehand: trains and buses are full that night, and if you celebrate in another city it is worth arranging a place to stay.
Concerts and the oudejaarsconference
Many orchestras play New Year's concerts around the turn of the year. The Antwerp Symphony Orchestra plays its New Year's concert in the Queen Elisabeth Hall and in Hasselt, and in Brussels the Belgian National Orchestra usually gives the New Year's concert at Bozar in January.
If you would rather laugh: the oudejaarsconference is a tradition in Flanders too, with a television version on the public broadcaster and tours of comedians and cabaret artists in theatres in November and December.
Source: Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, BroadwayWorld, Wikipedia
New Year's dive in January
In early January thousands of people run into the North Sea at Ostend, the best known nieuwjaarsduik in the country; NMBS notes that it usually takes place on a Saturday in the first days of January, a short walk from the station. There are smaller dives in other coastal towns too.
Only go in where there is supervision, walk in slowly and warm up straight afterwards. High waves and wind can change a dive at the last minute: check the organiser's page that morning.
