During the 2023-2024 season, a total of 160 museums in Wallonia and Brussels will welcome the public free of charge every first Sunday of the month. Among these, 33 will extend the offer to
all weekdays as well. This initiative has been spearheaded by Arts & Publics, an organization devoted to promoting public engagement with the arts.
In the early days of 2013, Belgium's French-speaking Community government implemented a decree that granted complimentary access to museums on the first Sunday of each month. Initially encompassing 50 institutions, the program has seen gradual expansion and now boasts participation from 160 museums. Among these, 90 are mandated by the decree to provide free entry, while the remaining 70 join in on their own volition.
Geographically, Hainaut province leads the pack with 50 participating museums, followed by Brussels with 32 museums, two gardens, and a permanent exhibition.
In theory, the free admission covers permanent exhibitions, yet the majority of museums extend this benefit to encompass temporary exhibitions and collections as well. Photo by Nenea hartia, Wikimedia commons.