Wallonia chooses Namur as European Capital of Culture 2030, final decision awaited

Brussels – Belgium has not yet chosen, but Wallonia has made up its mind: Namur will run to become the European Capital of Culture in 2030. The Walloon government got the green light to access the spotlight on what is already the region’s capital, and now it is waiting to see what Flanders (in the running, for the Flemish part of the country, Gent, Leuven and Kortrijk) and Brussels capital (Molenbeek would be proposed here) will decide.

For 2030, the European Commission has chosen Belgium, Cyprus, and a European Economic Area country (to be determined) to host the event-filled festival. It is up to the country to decide where to draw culture lovers, onlookers and visitors from across Europe, and Belgium is beginning to show its hand.

The European Capital of Culture initiative aims to promote cultural integration at the European level, allowing the various cities to capitalize on this event to boost the local economy and fabric through art and culture. This is not the first time this event has touched Belgium: Antwerp (1993), Brussels (2000), Bruges (2002) and Mons (2015) have previously been elected European capitals.