Fête de L'Iris

Perhaps it is because Brussels is the "Capital" of Europe or maybe it's just that the Belgians like communal gatherings, but there seem to be lots of festivals, markets, and events going on all the time. Earlier this month, there was a two-day outdoor festival to celebrate Iris Day or Fête de L'Iris (the iris is the symbol of Brussels). The center of the city was closed to cars for the entire weekend, and the festivities included music, food, street performers, tons of bicyclists, and lots of people watching. The weather was beautiful, hot even! But the most entertaining part was a crazy soap box race, complete with costumed teams and fanciful, sculptural vehicles (think Kinetics on land).