Halles de Schaerbeek

Halles de Schaerbeek in Brussels is a performing-arts centre whose Grande Halle accommodates up to 2,200 standing concertgoers. Its distinction is scale with provenance: a 1,200-square-metre former covered market, rebuilt in 1901 after a fire, beneath a metal-and-glass nave. Concerts sit inside a civic-sized industrial shell, while the wider building also hosts performances, talks, installations, markets and public gatherings. That mix places a headline show within an active cultural house.

A market remade for performance

The Sainte-Marie market was built in 1865. Fire struck in 1893, and a replacement covered market opened in 1901. Trading closed in 1920; a municipal depot and car park occupied the site afterwards. In 1973, Jo Dekmine gathered Philippe Grombeer, Daniel Colardijn, Hubert Dombrecht and Alain La Sante to plan an independent cultural conversion; the collective became formally active in 1974. COCOF bought the building in 1975. A first major refurbishment in 1984 restored the glass roof, added flooring, treated rust and installed facilities. The Grande Halle opened in late November 1996, placing the building’s largest room back at the centre of its cultural life. Music carries its own documented chapters: Le Soir covered Fela Kuti’s 1988 appearance, while Björk played a sold-out Halles in 1997.

Three rooms, flexible bills

Music is one of Les Halles’ three core disciplines, alongside dance and circus, with parties framed as music programming and DJ-led projects. The concert bill spans hip-hop, pop, electronic, rock, indie, alternative and folk. For a larger show, the Grande Halle offers open volumes under its 1,200-square-metre nave; intimate bills fit the Petite Halle, whose raised stage supports up to 350 standing or 120 seated. The Cave/Piscine supplies a 100-square-metre, six-metre-deep room with a foyer bar for immersive and club-adjacent formats. Rental partnerships prioritize cultural, associative and neighborhood-facing partners.