Greening in Brussels and Bruges
Greening of the Grand Place
Tuesday 17th March 2015, at 20h45 until midnight
Grand Place, Brussels
Free, All Welcome
On the occasion of St. Patrick's Day, Brussels City Council has once again decided that the magnificent Brussels Grand Place will be lit in green as part of Tourism Ireland's Global Greening Initiative, in partnership with the Embassy of Ireland to the Kingdom of Belgium.
The Brussels Grand Place will join iconic landmarks taking part in the Global Greening. The Colosseum in Rome, the Sacré-Coeur Basilica in the fabled district of Montmartre overlooking Paris and the Grand Old Opry (the show that made country music famous!) in Nashville will go green for the first time ever for St Patrick's Day this year, as part of the organisation's sixth annual Global Greening initiative.
Tourism Ireland's annual Global Greening, which sees a host of major landmarks and iconic sites around the world illuminated in green for St Patrick's Day, has grown from strength to strength, with a number of new landmarks signing up to rake part in 2015, including the Burg in Bruges.
The new sites will join some 'old favourites' which have gone green in previous years - including Niagara Falls (on both the US and Canadian sides), the London Eye, the Allianz Arena in Munich, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, the Sky Tower in Auckland, the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Cibeles Fountain and Palace in Madrid and one of last year's newcomers, the Sleeping Beauty castle at Disneyland® in Paris.
Members of the public are welcome to join the media to see the moment the Grand Place will be greened on Tuesday 17th March 2015 at 20h45 in the present of Minister for European Affairs and Data Protection Mr. Dara Murphy T.D., Ambassador of Ireland to the Kingdom of Belgium Éamon Mac Aodha and Tourism Ireland representatives.
We look forward to seeing you there!
(Click here for a map of the location of Brussels Grand Place)
Monday 16th March and Tuesday 17th March
The Burg Square, Bruges
Free, All Welcome
To celebrate St Patrick's Day, the Bruges City Council have decided that the Burg Square in Bruges, one of Belgium's two Medieval squares, will be lit in green for the first time ever. This historic greening is part of Tourism Ireland's Global Greening Initiative, in partnership with the Embassy of Ireland to the Kingdom of Belgium.
The Burg Square was already inhabited in the 2nd century AD, and in the 9th century it became the home of the Count of Flanders. Bruges and the surrounding territory were governed from the Palace of the Liberty of Bruges from the Late Middle Ages until 1795. For almost the next 200 years the buildings were occupied by law courts. To the left of the 14th-century city hall you will find the old Court of Justice, a rare example of Renaissance architecture in Bruges, and to the right you will find the Basilica of the Holy Blood, where the relic of the Holy Blood is kept.
Members of the public are welcome on Monday 16th March 2015 as from 20h00 (please note - the lights go on the day before St Patrick's day!) when the Burg will be greened in the presence of Ireland's Minister for European Affairs and Data Protection Mr. Dara Murphy T.D., the Ambassador of Ireland to the Kingdom of Belgium, Éamon Mac Aodha and Tourism Ireland representatives. The Burg will also be lit in green on the evening of St Patrick's Day, Tuesday 17th March 2015.
We look forward to seeing you there!
(click here for a map of the location of Burg Square)