National Day: higher frequencies and adjusted lines
On Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 July 2026
Published on
On Tuesday 21 July we celebrate National Day! We have adapted our service so you can participate in the numerous festivities in the city-centre of Brussels, as well as go to the Bal National on Monday 20 July:
- The Noctis buses run exceptionally on the night of Monday 20 July to Tuesday 21 July
- The metro and several tram and bus lines run later to take you home after the fireworks of 21 July
- To make sure everything runs smoothly, several tram and bus lines are adjusted.
Festivities
After the traditional Bal National of Monday evening, more activities follow on Tuesday in the city centre, from 10.00 am until 8.00 pm.
After a short break, you can continue celebrating during the concert at parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark, which starts at 9.00 pm. The evening ends its course around 11.00 pm with fireworks.
You can use these lines to participate in the celebrations:
Bal National on place du Jeu de Balle/Vossenplein
- Date: Monday 20 July
- Time: from 7.00 pm
- Metro 2 and 6, tram 4: station Porte de Hal/Hallepoort
- Bus 37, 48 and 50: stop Porte de Hal/Hallepoort
Te Deum at the cathédrale Saints Michel-et-Gudule/Sint-Michiels- en Sint-Goedelekathedraal
- Date: Tuesday 21 July
- Time: 10.00 am
- Metro 1 and 5: station Gare Centrale/Centraal Station
- Tram 4 and 10: station De Brouckère
National Day in the Park
- Date: Tuesday 21 July
- Time: 10.00 am until 8.00 pm
- Metro 1 and 5: stations Gare Centrale/Centraal Station or Arts-Loi/Kunt-Wet
- Metro 2 and 6: stations Trône/Troon or Arts-Loi/Kunt-Wet
- Bus 29, 61, 63, 65 & 66: stop Madou
- Bus 38, 54, 71 & 95: stop Porte de Namur/Naamsepoort
Military and civil parade
- Date: Tuesday 21 July
- Time: 4.00 pm
- Place: rue Royale/Koningsstraat
- Metro 1 and 5: stations Gare Centrale/Centraal Station and Arts-Loi/Kunt-Wet
- Metro 2 and 6: station Botanique/Kruidtuin
- Bus 29, 61, 63, 65 & 66: stop Madou
- Bus 38, 54, 71 & 95: stop Porte de Namur/Naamsepoort
Concert and fireworks
- Date: Tuesday 21 July
- Time: from 9.00 pm
- Place: Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark
- Metro 1 and 5: station Schuman
- Tram 81: stop Merode
- Tram 7, 25, 39, 44, bus 61, 80: stop Montgomery
- Bus 12, 21, 36, 56, 59, 60, 64 & 79: stop Maelbeek/Maalbeek
No more queuing at the vending machine: simply scan your contactless bank card on the bus, tram, or at the gates of metro stations and off you go. A journey with contactless payment will cost you only €2.40: that’s 50 cents less than a paper ticket. More info about contactless payment here.
Metro
Tuesday 21 July
Additional metros: the 4 metro lines run on the schedule of Saturdays instead of the one of holidays. On every line, one metro runs every 7'30 minutes, so that's one metro every 3'45 minutes between Beekkant and Merode, and between Simonis and Elisabeth.
Late departures: after the fireworks display, 4 metro lines will run later:
- Lines 1 and 5: last passage at Merode in all directions at 0.50 am
- Lines 2 and 6: last passage at Arts-Loi/Kunst-Wet in all directions at 1.10 am
Closed stations and entrances
Station Parc/Park is closed from 10.30 am until 7.00 pm. You can use stations Gare Centrale/Centraal Station and Arts-Loi/Kunt-Wet to reach rue Royale/Koningsstraat
Station Maelbeek/Maalbeek is closed after 9.00 pm. Get off at Schuman to watch the fireworks and take the metro back home in the same station afterwards.
Multiple accesses are closed for several periods throughout day:
- Gare Central/Centraal Station: the exits to rue de Loxum (no. 7 & 8) are closed from 9.30 am until 11.00 am, for the Te Deum.
- Rogier: the exits to boulevard Adolphe Max/Adolphe Maxlaan, and to boulevard du Jardin Botanique/Kruidtuinlaan, by Manhattan Tower (no. 5) are closed from 3.00 pm until 3.45 pm. The entrances to rue Neuve/Nieuwstraat, place Rogier/Rogierplein and the elevator to boulevard du Jardin Botanique/Kruidtuinlaan (no. 1, 8 and 9) are closed during the king's procession. The elevator by place Rogier/Rogierplein remains accessible.
- Botanique/Kruidtuin: the exit and elevator by Finance Tower (no. 2) are closed from 3.00 pm until 3.45 pm. The exit and elevator by rue Royal remain accessible.
- Schuman: all exits, except those to rue de la Loi/Wetstraat and Berlaymont, and Résidence Palace, are closed after 7.30 pm.
- Merode:
- The entrances by avenue des Gaulois/Galliërslaan, avenue de l'Yser/Ijzerlaan, and avenue des Celtes/Keltenlaan and rue des Tongres/Tongerenstraat (no. 1, 2, 3 and 4) are closed after 7.00 pm.
- The entrances by the SNCB/NMBS station, square Princesse Jean de Merode/Prinses Jean de Mérodeplein and the one to avenue de Tervuren/Tervurenlaan (by tram 81) remain accessible, just like the elevator.
Tram
Tuesday 21 July
After the fireworks tram lines 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 25, 81, 82 en 92 run until later than usual:
- Lines 4 and 10: last passage at De Brouckère direction Gare du Nord / Noordstation, Hôpital Militaire / Militair Hospitaal, Wiels and Gare du Midi / Zuidstation at 1.00 am
- Lines 7 and 25: last passage at Montgomery in all directions at 0.50 am
- Line 9: last passage at Simonis in all directions at 1.00 am
- Line 81: last passage at Merode direction Trinité / Drievuldigheid at 1.00 am
- Line 82: last passage at Gare de l’Ouest/Weststation direction Gare de Berchem/Station Berchem at 0.50 am
- Lines 8 and 92: last departure at Louise/Louiza to Bailli/Baljuw and Fort-Jaco around 1.30 am. Tram 8 between Legrand and Roodebeek and temporary bus 96 follow the usual schedule.
Adjusted lines
Tram 81
After 6.00 pm, Merode is the terminus of tram 81, avenue des Celtes/Keltenlaan instead of Montgomery. Attention! Due to works, line 81 is interrupted. This tram only runs between Trinité/Drievuldigheid and Merode.
The stop Montgomery is still served by metro 1 from Merode.
Tram 92
All day long, tram 92 only runs between Louise/Louiza and Fort-Jaco.
The stops between Sainte-Marie/Sint-Maria and Botanique/Kruidtuin remain served by tram 93.
The stops between Congrès/Congres and Poelaert are not served.
Tram 93
All day long, tram 93 only runs between Stade/Stadion and Botanique/Kruidtuin, and between Louise/Louiza and Bailli/Baljuw.
The stops between Congrès/Congres and Poelaert are not served.
To continue your journey between Botanique/Kruidtuin and Louise/Louiza, take metro 2 or 6.
T-bus 92
The T-bus that replaces tram 92 has its terminus at Sainte-Marie/Sint-Maria instead of Parc/Park during the whole day.
Stops Congrès/Congres and Parc/Park are not served. The T-bus will run as usual between Schaerbeek Gare/Schaarbeek Station and Sainte-Marie/Sint-Maria.
Bus
Monday 20 July
On the occasion of Bal National on place du Jeu de Balle/Vossenplein:
- Bus lines 48 direction Decroly, 50 direction Lot Station and N12 direction Stalle (P) are diverted after 3 pm between bus stops Chapelle/Kapellekerk and Porte de Hal/Hallepoort via Petite Ceinture/Kleine Ring. Stop Jeu de Balle/Vossenplein is not served. The buses direction Anneessens and Gare Centrale/Centraal Station follow their usual routes.
- The Noctis bus lines run exceptionally during the night of Monday 20 to Tuesday 21 July from midnight until 3.00 am.
Tuesday 21 July
To help you get home after the fireworks, bus lines 38, 54, 56, 59, 60, 61, 64, 71, 80, 87 and 95 run until later than usual:
- Buses 38 & 95: last passage at Trône/Troon direction Héros/Helden and Wiener at 1.00 am
- Buses 54 & 71: last passage at Porte de Namur/Naamsepoort direction Forest National/Vorst National and Delta at 12.50 am
- Buses 56 & 59: last passage at Maelbeek/Maalbeek direction Buda and Bordet at 1.00 am
- Bus 60: last passage at Maelbeek/Maalbeek direction Uccle Calevoet/Ukkel Kalevoet at 0.30 am
- Bus 61: last passage at Montgomery direction Pléiades/Plejaden at 0.30 am
- Bus 64: last passage at Maelbeek/Maalbeek direction Bordet Station at 0.40 am
- Line 80: last passage by Montgomery direction Haren at 1.00 am
- Bus 87: last departure from Simonis direction Hunderenveld at 1.00 am
Adapted service:
Bus 12
Bus 12 terminates at Maelbeek/Maalbeek instead of Trône/Troon until 8.00 pm. The terminus Trône/Troon and the Luxembourg/Luxemburg stop are not served.
After 8.00 pm, at Trône/Troon, bus 12 only serves the stops in rue du Luxembourg/Luxemburgstraat and not the terminus in rue Ducale/Hertogsstraat.
Bus 12 runs every 15 minutes instead of every 20 minutes as from 7.00 am until the end of the day.
Bus 21
Bus 21 has its terminus at Maelbeek/Maalbeek instead of Luxembourg/Luxemburg until 8.00 pm. Stops Toulouse, Parc Léopold/Leopoldspark, Trêves/Trier and Luxembourg/Luxemburg are not served.
Bus 29, 63, 65 & 66
Until 8.00 pm, bus lines 29, 63, 65 & 66 have Madou as their terminus instead of De Brouckère or Gare Centrale/Centraal Station. The stops between Presse/Drukpers and De Brouckère are not served.
Bus 34
Until 8.00 pm, bus 34 has its terminus at Idalie instead of Porte de Namur/Naamsepoort. The stops between Luxembourg/Luxemburg and Porte de Namur/Naamsepoort are not served.
Bus 36
Until 8.00 pm, bus 36 is diverted from the Leman to the Idalie stop via the route of bus 80. The Maelbeek/Maalbeek, Marie-Louise/Maria-Louiza, Froissart/Froissart and Nerviens/Nerviërs stops are not served. The Leman stop to Konkel is moved to the bus 80 stop direction Haren.
After 8.00 pm, bus 36 is diverted between the Leman and Maelbeek/Maalbeek stops via place Jourdan/Jourdanplein.
The Nerviens/Nerviërs stop is not served. The Leman stop to Konkel is moved to the bus 80 stop direction Haren.
Bus 38
All day long, bus 38 terminates at Louise/Louiza instead of Gare Centrale/Centraal Station.
Until 8.00 pm, buses are diverted from Flagey to Louise/Louiza via the bus 71 route between Flagey and Porte de Namur/Naamsepoort. The stops between Malibran and Gare Centrale/Centraal Station are not served.
After 8.00 pm, buses are diverted from Trône/Troon to Louise/Louiza. The stops between Royale/Koning and Gare Centrale/Centraal Station are not served.
Bus 48
All day long, bus 48 terminates at Porte de Hal/Hallepoort instead of Anneessens. The stops between Porte de Hal/Hallepoort and Anneessens are not served.
Bus 50
All day long, bus 50 terminates at Porte de Hal/Hallepoort instead of Gare Centrale/Centraal Station. The stops between Porte de Hal/Hallepoort and Gare Centrale/Centraal Station are not served.
Bus 54
All day long, bus 54 is diverted from Porte de Namur/Naamsepoort to Louise/Louiza. The terminus Trône/Troon is not served.
Bus 56
After 6.00 pm, bus 56 runs every 15 minutes instead of every 20 minutes.
Bus 58 & 88
Until 6.00 pm, buses 58 and 88 terminate at Gare du Nord/Noordstation instead of Albert II or De Brouckère. The Albert II, Rogier and De Brouckère stops are not served.
At Gare du Nord/Noordstation, buses serve the bus 61 terminus.
Bus 59
From 2.00 pm until 8.00 pm, bus line 59 is suspended between the Maelbeek/Maalbeek and Étangs/Vijvers stops. After Étangs/Vijvers, buses coming from Hôpital Etterbeek-Ixelles/Ziekenhuis Etterbeek-Elsene continue on line 60 to Uccle Calevoet/Ukkel Kalevoet.
The Froissart, Jourdan (to Bordet Station) and Parc Léopold/Leopoldspark stops are not served.
During the entire evening bus 59 runs every 12 minutes instead of every 15 minutes.
Bus 60
From 2.00 pm until 8.00 pm, bus 60 is suspended between the Ambiorix and Étangs/Vijvers stops. After Étangs/Vijvers, buses coming from Uccle Calevoet/Ukkel Kalevoet continue on line 59 to Hôpital Etterbeek-Ixelles/Ziekenhuis Etterbeek-Elsene.
The stops between Ambiorix and Maelbeek/Maalbeek remain served by bus 64, the Froissart, Jourdan (to Ambiorix) and Parc Léopold/Leopoldspark stops are not served.
During the entire evening bus 60 runs every 15 minutes instead of every 20 minutes.
Bus 61
Until 6.00 pm, bus 61 is diverted from Quetelet to Madou, which is its terminus instead of Gare du Nord/Noordstation. The stops between Botanique/Kruidtuin and Gare du Nord/Noordstation are not served.
After 6.00 pm, bus 61 is diverted between the de Jamblinne de Meux and Montgomery stops via the Diamant and Georges Henri stations. The Wappers, Chevalerie/Ridderschap and Merode stops are not served.
Bus 64
Until 8.00 pm, bus 64 terminates at Maelbeek/Maalbeek instead of Porte de Namur/Naamsepoort. The stops between Maelbeek/Maalbeek and Porte de Namur/Naamsepoort are not served.
Bus 71
All day long, bus 71 terminates at Porte de Namur/Naamsepoort instead of De Brouckère. The stops between Trône/Troon and De Brouckère are not served.
A bus runs every 8 minutes instead of every 10 minutes, from 1.00 pm until the end of the day.
Bus 79
A bus runs every 15 minutes instead of every 20 minutes, from 8.00 pm until the end of the evening.
Bus 80
All day long, bus 80 terminates at Montgomery instead of Porte de Namur/Naamsepoort. The stops between Porte de Namur/Naamsepoort and Luxembourg/Luxemburg, and the Gaulois/Galliërs and Merode stops are not served.
The stops between Idalie and Leman remain served by bus 36 − it exceptionally serves those stops. (Leman and Jourdan all day long, Museum and Idalie until 8.00 pm).
After 6.00 pm, bus 80 runs every 15 minutes instead of every 20 minutes throughout the evening.
Bus 89
Until 11.30am, bus 89 has its terminus at Dansaert instead of Gare Centrale / Centraal Station. After Dansaert, bus 89 direction Westland Shopping is diverted via the stops Bourse / Beurs and Porte d'Anderlecht / Anderlechtsepoort to the stop Triangle / Driehoek. The stops between Bourse / Beurs and Gare Centrale / Centraal Station in both directions, and the stops Porte de Flandre / Vlaamsepoort and Porte de Ninove / Ninoofsepoort direction Westland Shopping are not served.
Bus 95
Bus 95 terminates at Porte de Namur/Naamsepoort instead of Grand-Place/Grote Markt, all day long.
Until 8.00 pm, bus 95 is diverted from Germoir to Porte de Namur/Naamsepoort via place Flagey/Flageyplein and the bus 71 route between Flagey and Porte de Namur/Naamsepoort. The stops between Blyckaerts and Grand-Place/Grote Markt are not served.
After 8.00 pm, bus 95 is diverted from Trône/Troon to Porte de Namur/Naamsepoort. The stops between Royale/Koning and Grand-Place/Grote Markt are not served.
Bus 95 runs every 8 minutes instead of every 9 minutes, from 1.00 pm and until the end of the day.
Impacted lines
Need a personalized itinerary or alternative?
Use our journey planner to find your way around Brussels during these works.
