Pageant in Brussels

Brussels hosts the 3-day Ommegang Pageant annually in the first week of July. Reenacting the spectacular entry of Charles V into Brussels in 1549, 1,400-plus Belgians take part. Dressed as nobles, guildsmen and jesters, they move on horseback or on foot in a procession from the Sablon to the Grand Place.

The pageant and a sound-and-light show at the Grand Place take place on two evenings (tickets required). There are also jousting tournaments at the Place du Sablon on certain afternoons (free).

Visit www.ommegang.be or contact the Belgian Tourist Office (New York, NY; 212/758-8130, www.visitbelgium.com).

Another spectacle — in August on even numbered years (next in 2010), a floral carpet of millions of begonias is laid across the Grand Place.