Looking for something a bit special to do this summer?
If so,look no further than a summer festival taking place at Pairi Daiza, one of the best known visitor attractions in Belgium.
This summer marks the 10th anniversary of what has become a hugely popular annual event at the famous park: Les Estivales.
Under this yearly festival, various areas of the venue are given over to specially-erected stages featuring a whole array of performances and activities. This year these have already included everything from a live showing of the Belgium v Spain World Cup encounter to pop shows by assorted Belgian artists.
The jamboree officially kicked off on July 10 and runs until August 16 so there is still plenty of time to catch one of the many performances taking place in the park this summer.
A rich and varied festival programme will take place across no less than 19 stages, featuring about 70 artists per evening and nearly 90 performances. These include everything from music, circus and dance to street art, theatre and folklore….all spread across the gardens and worlds of Pairi Daiza.
Since 2016, Pairi Daiza’s Estivales festival has, in fact, grown into one of the country’s most extraordinary summer evenings: a sort of “cultural tapas trail” where visitors stroll from stage to stage, discovering something unexpected time and time again.
A spokesman said, “The programme is deliberately eclectic and multidisciplinary, featuring short performances at various locations throughout the park so that every visitor can create their own itinerary to experience the festival’s tenth anniversary.”
This year, 65 per cent of the programme has been totally revamped. The fun has already started: on 10 and 11 July, Estivales had an extra Flemish flavour, whilst a special Belgian edition took place this week, on 20 and 21 July (Belgium’s national day).
What makes Estivales particularly unique each year is its setting. Intimate stages are erected throughout the gardens to ensure a harmonious atmosphere. Sound levels are deliberately kept low so that visitors can enjoy performances whilst respecting the welfare of the animals housed at Pairi Daiza.
It is also great value for money. Whilst festival prices often soar both here and elsewhere, visitors to Estivales get not only access to a great summer festival evening but also to Pairi Daiza itself for €53.
With a Membership Card costing €132, visitors can also return as often as they like throughout the festival summer and for the 365 days following the date of activation.
Estivales is, therefore, not merely a festival for a single niche audience but a summer evening for all generations: children, parents, grandparents, couples, groups of friends and curious explorers.
Those who want to see everything don’t need to bring a tent and risk the uncertainties of a Belgium summer, either.
Thanks to the opening of Edenya, the Pairi Daiza Resort now offers 209 accommodation options meaning visitors can, exceptionally, extend their festival evening with an overnight stay in the park.
This year, performances on the agenda include Robin De la Rue, WOUT, Fairy in Boots, Radio 2 DJ Bjorn Verhoeven and The Swinging Dixie Colby’s Band from Geraardsbergen.
Robin said, “Before the holidays, my 5 year old son kept telling everyone at school that his mum was going to be performing at Pairi Daiza.”
Robin took part in the television singing competition ‘The Voice of Flanders’ in 2016 and 2019, and in ‘Lift Me Up’ in 2025. She is also a professional vocal coach at her own Studio 84 Antwerp.
For her concerts she arranged five 25-minute mini-concerts from a playlist of 80 songs. Each mini-concert has its own opening song, an emotional build-up and a rousing finale.
The aim? “to bring together audiences from different backgrounds and generations with a wide-ranging repertoire of Dutch-language, French-language and international pop music,” she said.
Elsewhere, Radio 2 presenter Bjorn Verhoeven says, “It’s obviously this is something completely different from a 1990s party in an industrial building in Roeselare or at the Trixxo Arena in Hasselt.”
He adds, “But that’s exactly why I’m really looking forward to it.”
WOUT, the stage name of Wout Van Hemelryck, arranged a varied repertoire featuring Flemish classics and sing-alongs as well as well-known English-language songs. He said, “As a child, I dreamt of being able to sing at special venues.”
For him, it offers a “wonderful musical experience” and the chance to “create memories that will linger for a long time to come.”
The spokesman added, “The summer festival invites visitors to experience a true artistic world tour in the heart of Pairi Daiza. From 6 pm musicians, magicians, acrobats, dancers, singers, comedians and street artists will bring the park to life across 19 stages spread throughout the garden.
“For this 10th edition, visitors can enjoy brand-new creations, surprising performances, concerts, and numerous activities to discover as they stroll through the park. Festive, family-friendly, and unique evenings await, offering a fresh perspective on Pairi Daiza, until 11 pm.”
