Summer 2025 in Antwerp
Newsletter - April '25
Antwerp looks ahead to summer with several events that each, in their own way, keep the city moving. The Maagdenhuis is being reimagined as a place where young talent and heritage come together and reinforce one another. At the Middelheim Museum, 75 years of open-air visual art are being celebrated – a milestone for this unique green space. And as every year, the graduation show of the Fashion Department at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp marks the conclusion of an academic year filled with creativity with international appeal.
From orphanage to city workshop - the Maagdenhuis lives again
The Maagdenhuis (maidens' house) is set to be repurposed until 2027. The 16th-century building in the historic heart of Antwerp, once an orphanage for girls and later a museum, is undergoing a major repurposing. The building is reopening as an open workplace for interaction, collaboration and creative residencies.
A notable eye-catcher is the long-term residency of GATAM vzw, an organisation that champions socio-artistic practices with and by people with a migrant background. Part of the collaboration is the creation of brand-new restaurant Samenloop. Victor Avonds - twice nominated for ‘lady chef of the year’, curates the menu. Reantwerp, the fashion atelier of Tim Van Steenbergen, Ruth Goossens and GATAM vzw, also gets a place here. They create minimalist garments using the dead stock from designers.
From 20 June 2025, the Maagdenhuis will be host to the exhibition ‘Public Favourites. 43 personal stories from the Mayer van den Bergh collection’. That museum is closing its doors for a while. For this exhibition, 43 Antwerp residents – both well-known and less familiar – each selected an item from the collection and shared a personal recollection about it. This unique approach offers a fresh take on the masterpieces and emphasises the deep connection between the city and its art treasures.
75 years of the Middelheim Museum - where art, nature and the public come together
In 2025, the Middelheim Museum in Antwerp celebrates its 75th anniversary as a pioneer of outdoor sculpture. What began in 1950 as a bold exhibition in a city park has grown into an internationally acclaimed museum with an extraordinary collection, including iconic pieces by Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Ai Weiwei and Camille Henrot, among others.
What makes the Middelheim Museum unique is the dynamic interplay between art and nature: no walls, but seasons that constantly change the perspective on the artworks. Instead of classical exhibition rooms, visitors encounter four thematic zones that question the relationship between human beings and nature.
With free admission, an open restoration policy, an impressive library and an innovative open-air repository, the museum continues to be radically inclusive and contemporary in 2025. The anniversary year will be celebrated with creative public activities, alternative guided tours and a festive opening event on 17 May.
Throughout the anniversary year, press visits are possible; a full press kit is available here.
Antwerp Fashion Department Graduation Show: young talent on the catwalk
The renowned fashion department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp presents its annual graduation show on 6 and 7 June, a highlight for lovers of avant-garde fashion and young talent. This show offers a unique glimpse at the work of final-year students, who showcase their vision and craftsmanship in a surprising and often groundbreaking presentation. Each year, the show attracts international press, fashion professionals and headhunters.
Flanders DC, responsible for the promotion of Flemish creative sectors, is once again planning a broad press programme around the graduation show. Journalists can take part in guided visits, fashion talks and meetings with young designers.
The full programme will be made known soon. Contact us at press@visitantwerpen.be if you are interested.
And furthermore…
- At the end of last year, TRAUM opened in Antwerp, a new nightclub now occupying the space where the legendary Café d'Anvers once stood. A dreamer's sanctuary built on old-school clubbing principles.
- Early February, Vision XR Gallery, an established name in the world of exclusive pop, street and contemporary art, opened a flagship store in Antwerp. Both local artists and big names, such as Banksy and Andy Warhol, are their trademark.
- The 11th edition of Antwerp Art Weekend takes place between 29 May and 1 June.
- From 1 to 5 June, it is once again Antwerp Design Week. This year, the organisation has introduced a B2C element, such as a design lover walk through the city.
- Jazz Middelheim returns after a few years of absence! Between 6 and 9 June, the crème de la crème of the international jazz scene descends on Den Brandt Park.
- On Saturday, August 9th, living techno legend Carl Cox will play his only Belgian show of the year at an iconic open-air location by the river in Antwerp. Set against the backdrop of the historical harbor cranes, this industrial setting will be the stage of a remarkable day in our city.
- Between 22 and 31 August, AMUZ is organising Laus Polyphoniae, the summer festival around early music. Under the title Ars antiqua – Ars nova – Ars subtilior , the focus this year is on polyphony from the time of the cathedral builders (1140-1440).