Antwerp Zoo opened on 21 July 1843 and has been a listed monument since 1983. In October 2026 Flanders cut the €3.4 million a year that helped keep its old buildings standing and its gates open in winter.
Author: Emma
Our podcaster-in-chief, Emma, has lived in Antwerp for over a decade and knows the city inside and out. With her finger on the pulse of Antwerp’s cultural scene, she’s the one to turn to for the latest happenings.
Linkeroever, the Left Bank, learns to cross the Scheldt again
Antwerp’s Left Bank has 16,545 residents and four tunnels to the rest of the city. Since May 2026 the tram tunnel is shut until July 2027, and a 500-hectare park has opened next door.
Easter in Antwerp: Rubens, a printing house, a zoo and 4,460 bikes
Easter 2027 falls on 28 and 29 March. Antwerp has no Easter market, but its cathedral holds the Rubens Passion paintings, and one of them is away for restoration.
The Red Star Line Museum keeps Antwerp’s emigrant sheds open
About two million emigrants passed through the Red Star Line’s sheds on Antwerp’s Rijnkaai between 1873 and 1934. Since 2013 the same buildings have held the museum that tells their story, from Einstein’s resignation letter to Irving Berlin’s piano.
Den Botaniek and the Botanic Sanctuary: a free garden and a five-star neighbour
Den Botaniek on Leopoldstraat has grown medicinal plants since the 16th century and still charges nothing to walk in. Next door, the old Sint-Elisabeth hospital is now the 108-room Botanic Sanctuary.
The Antwerp Giants end Oostende’s 14-year reign
In June 2026 the Antwerp Giants beat Oostende 89 to 84 after overtime to win their first Belgian title since 2000, the last of three trophies in one season.
Port of Antwerp: Europe’s second port, seen from the water
Port of Antwerp-Bruges handled 266.5 million tonnes of cargo in 2025 and is run from a Zaha Hadid building on an old fire station. The way in is a boat from the Asiadok, from €23.
Antwerp’s Meir is getting the world’s largest Zara and a new floor
The Meir has been car-free since 1993 and draws more than 1.4 million visitors a month. Zara is building its largest shop in the world on the corner, and the city plans to relay the street from facade to facade, starting in 2028 at the earliest.
Royal Antwerp FC: number one, rebuilt one stand at a time
Belgium’s registration number one has played at the Bosuil in Deurne since 1923. Since December 2025 it holds 21,000, and since July 2026 the club has new owners.
Bowling in Antwerp: 18 lanes up north, ten by the station
Antwerp has five places to bowl, from 18 lanes on the Noorderlaan to ten HyperBowling lanes on De Keyserlei. The league clubs have their favourites, and one alley also rents out a karaoke room.