How to Meet

How to meet creatives in Brussels: communities, hubs and events

Looking to meet creatives in Brussels? Discover the best communities, creative hubs, co-working spaces, and events where designers, artists, and makers connect in the city.

How to meet creatives in Brussels
Brussels is a more creative city than it often gets credit for. Beneath the EU institutions and corporate headquarters, there's a genuinely vibrant scene of graphic designers, illustrators, photographers, architects and artists who have made this multilingual, slightly chaotic city their home and their inspiration.The community here is international by default and refreshingly unpretentious, which makes it an surprisingly easy place to walk in and start making connections.

Communities for creatives in Brussels

Find communities for creatives in Brussels where you can meet like-minded professionals, share ideas and build lasting connections.

CreativeMornings

CreativeMornings is a global series of free, monthly morning talks that bring creatives together for coffee, inspiration, and good vibes.
creativemornings.com

The Design Kids

The Design Kids is a global community for emerging designers, with city meetups, interviews, jobs, and practical resources to help you build your folio and grow your career.
thedesignkids.org

Friends of Figma

Friends of Figma is a global network of local design groups supported by Figma, where UX, UI, and product designers come together to learn and exchange ideas. Each chapter hosts events like design critiques, community talks, and tool-focused workshops to foster collaboration and creative growth.
friends.figma.com

Creative Hubs and Spaces to Meet People in Brussels

Discover creative hubs and coworking spaces in Brussels where people working in the creative industries regularly gather and collaborate.

Palazzo Creative Workspace

Palazzo is a 500m² creative workspace in Saint-Gilles, set in a converted garage. Alongside shared desks and private workstations it has music studios and artist studios to rent, making it a genuinely mixed creative community. Good crowd, good neighbourhood.
p-a-l-a-z-z-o.com

Factory Forty

Factory Forty is a coworking space in Brussels' Forest district, set in a former workshop complex with a large garden, vegetable patch and pond. It primarily serves creatives — architects, designers, journalists and freelancers — in a relaxed, community-focused setup. One of the more pleasant places to work in Brussels.
factoryforty.be

Silversquare

Silversquare has seven coworking locations across Brussels, all designed in collaboration with local artists and designers. The Central location, in an art deco building above Brussels Central Station, is particularly good. Reliable, well-run spaces that work for both focused work and networking.
silversquare.eu

Hangouts & cool places for creatives in Brussels

Explore the best hangouts, cafes, galleries and cool spaces in Brussels where creatives tend to spend their time.

Bozar

Bozar is Brussels' Centre for Fine Arts, housed in Victor Horta's landmark building. The program is multidisciplinary and reliably ambitious — exhibitions, concerts, film, architecture, talks — and the building alone is worth the visit. One of the most important cultural institutions in the country.
bozar.be

WIELS

WIELS is a contemporary art centre in a striking 1930s former brewery in Forest, designed by avant-garde architect Adrien Blomme. In the years since it opened, it has become the go-to for serious contemporary art in Brussels, with a strong international program and one of the best café terraces in the city.
wiels.org

MIMA

MIMA — the Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art — is a contemporary art museum beside the canal in Molenbeek that focuses on street art, music culture, skate culture and the broader visual language of internet-age creativity. If you want to understand where contemporary visual culture is actually coming from, this is the place.
mimamuseum.eu

Nyyó

Nyyó is a Vietnamese small plates restaurant in Ixelles with a concise, considered menu and a calm, well-designed space. It's the kind of restaurant that doesn't shout about itself but gets consistently full because the food is genuinely good.
nyyorestaurant.com

Beursschouwburg

Beursschouwburg is a multidisciplinary arts centre in the heart of Brussels, in a building that blends 19th-century architecture with contemporary interventions. The programme covers theatre, performance, music, dance and visual art with a consistent focus on contemporary and experimental work. One of the more interesting cultural programmers in the city.
beursschouwburg.be

Passa Porta

Passa Porta is Brussels' international bookshop and literary house, with a strong selection of fiction, poetry and art books alongside a regular program of readings, talks and events. A proper literary institution that also happens to be a great place to browse for an hour.
passaporta.be

CENTRALE for Contemporary Art

CENTRALE is a contemporary art space inside a former power station at Place Sainte-Catherine. The program mixes photo art, video installations, textile work and everyday objects with a focus on social and cultural themes. A good space in a great location.
centrale.brussels

Stijl

Stijl is one of Brussels' long-standing fashion concept stores, carrying a well-curated mix of Belgian and international designers with a strong emphasis on quality and considered design. It's been around for decades and still feels relevant, which says a lot.
stijl.be

MAD Brussels

MAD Brussels is a fashion and design platform in the Dansaert district that supports emerging Belgian designers through residencies, events and showcases. It also hosts the Brussels Jewelry Week and the MAD Parcours. A good place to discover what's coming next in Belgian design.
mad.brussels

MOK Coffee

MOK is a specialty coffee roastery and bar in the Dansaert district, founded by two-time Belgian Cup Tasters Champion Jens Crabbé. Set in a former art gallery, the interior is beautifully minimal and the coffee is seriously good. One of the best places in Brussels to work for a few hours or just have a proper cup.
mokcoffee.be

Volta Supper Club

Volta is a convivial pizza and drinks spot in Ixelles with a relaxed supper club atmosphere. It draws a creative crowd, the drinks list is well put together, and the energy on a Friday night is reliably good.
voltasupperclub.com

Xavier Hufkens

Xavier Hufkens is one of Brussels' most respected contemporary art galleries, with three spaces in the city. The Saint George gallery occupies four floors of a beautiful building and represents artists including Berlinde De Bruyckere, Thomas Houseago and Sterling Ruby. A serious gallery with a consistently strong program.
xavierhufkens.com

FRANK Café

FRANK is a light-filled coffee bar near the Grand Place offering specialty coffee and Australian-style brunch. Fluffy pancakes, sourdough toast, proper eggs — the kind of place that makes mornings worth having. Relaxed, good-looking interior and reliable coffee.
frank.brussels

Bois de la Cambre

Bois de la Cambre is a 123-hectare park on the southern edge of Brussels, where the city meets the Forêt de Soignes. It's one of the best places in the city to decompress — people run, cycle, have picnics and generally slow down. On a sunny afternoon, half of Brussels' creative class seems to end up here.
visit.brussels

NOJ Brussels

NOJ (Non Ordinary Jewelry) is a jewelry concept store in the Dansaert district that brings together a selection of independent designers making handmade pieces. The display — small wooden and glass cases for each designer — is as considered as the pieces inside.
nojbrussels.com

Creative Conferences and Events in Brussels

The key conferences, design weeks and creative events in Brussels where you can meet other professionals and stay inspired.

Design September Brussels

Design September is Brussels' month-long design festival held every September, with over 100 events across the city including exhibitions, open studios, conferences and market days. It's the best time of year to see the breadth of Belgian design talent and get into spaces that are normally closed to the public.
designseptember.be

Brussels Design Market

Brussels Design Market is one of Europe's most important vintage design markets, held twice a year at the Gare Maritime on the Tour & Taxis site. It brings together hundreds of dealers in 20th-century furniture, lighting, ceramics and objects, in one of the most impressive industrial spaces in the city.
designmarket.be
Brussels has a creative community that's well worth finding, and the city's international mix means you'll meet people from all kinds of backgrounds doing all kinds of interesting work. Show up, be open, and you'll discover pretty quickly that this city has a lot more going on creatively than most people expect.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best way to meet other creatives in Brussels?
The best way to meet other creatives in Brussels is to show up consistently somewhere rather than hoping a one-off networking event leads somewhere. Creative Lunch Club is a good starting point and a great way to meet other creatives: you get matched with a small group of creatives for lunch, which is a much more natural way to actually get to know people.
Where can I find creative communities in Brussels?
Brussels has a growing number of communities for creatives, from global networks like Creative Lunch Club to local meetup groups and coworking communities. The best place to start is joining a community that meets regularly, so you build real relationships over time rather than just collecting contacts at one-off events.
Are there networking events for creatives in Brussels?
Brussels has a range of events throughout the year where creatives meet, from industry conferences to informal gatherings. That said, traditional networking events can feel forced. Many creatives prefer more relaxed formats like Creative Lunch Club, where you meet people over lunch rather than awkward small talk with a name badge.
How do I find designer meetups in Brussels?
A good starting point is Creative Lunch Club, which runs regular meetups for designers and other creatives in Brussels. Beyond that, keep an eye on local design communities, Instagram, and event platforms for one-off gatherings tied to conferences or design weeks.
Where do graphic designers hang out in Brussels?
Designers tend to gravitate toward independent cafés, creative coworking spaces, and community events. Online, local design groups and communities like Creative Lunch Club are where a lot of the conversation happens and where lunches and meetups get organized.
How do I break into the creative scene in Brussels?
Show up consistently. The creative scene in Brussels is more accessible than it looks -- most people are open to meeting others, especially in a low-pressure setting. Joining a community like Creative Lunch Club is one of the easiest ways in, since you're introduced to a small group of people rather than thrown into a room of strangers.
Where can I meet freelance creatives in Brussels?
Freelancers make up a big part of Creative Lunch Club's members in Brussels. It's a natural fit since freelancing can be isolating and lunch is an easy, low-commitment way to meet people. Coworking spaces are another good bet.
What are the best creative events in Brussels?
Brussels has plenty of events for creatives, ranging from design conferences and film festivals to photography exhibitions and music events. For regular, ongoing connection rather than one-off events, Creative Lunch Club runs monthly meetups in Brussels year round.

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Wanna meet other creatives?

Join Creative Lunch Club and meet other creatives in Brussels

Creatives enjoying lunch together at a Creative Lunch Club gathering
Meet Other Creatives for Lunch

The Creative Lunch Club is a community for people working in the creative industries.

Whether you are a graphic designer, a photographer, a marketer, or a filmmaker, the Creative Lunch Club gives you the chance to regularly meet other creatives in your city for lunch.

Join Creative Lunch Club
I moved to Brussels a year and a half ago, from a small town, to pursue more photography opportunities. The Creative Lunch Club has been instrumental in helping me connect with other creatives and discover the wonders of this city. Sharing lunch with like-minded creatives has opened up new ideas and perspectives for me. The passion and energy from these gatherings never fail to inspire and motivate me.
Whitley Isa

Photographer, Brussels

I love to get inspired by fellow creatives and the Creative Lunch Club makes this easy for me. The conversations during these lunches have always an energizing impact on me.
Barbara Standaert

Interior Architect, Antwerp

I am an East London girl with a busy life and have found it hard to meet like-minded creatives but after only using the creativelunchclub once, I met one of my soul mates. Not only are we doing some collaborating with her being a singer and myself working in fashion and modelling which has all been really useful but we have also become best friends. Loved my experience and would highly recommend it for anyone that wants to network in the creative ares and you never know, you might meet your bestie too.
Amber Smith

Model and print designer, London