The District of Antwerp will mark the 450th anniversary of the Spanish Fury in November with ‘Furie!‘, a large-scale commemoration combining history, culture and live entertainment. The district of Antwerp will stage a one-off spectacle on the Grote Markt on Wednesday 4 November 2026, followed two days later by an evening of historical lectures, stories and music at Antwerp City Hall.
A commemoration to be experienced
From 19:00 on 4 November, visitors will be invited to step into an immersive historical experience in which past and present meet. The evening will combine history, culture, creativity and storytelling, with live music, theatre, puppets, actors, literature, light, fire and food trucks.
The organisers are deliberately keeping much of the programme under wraps. The Grote Markt will become the stage for a one-off historical spectacle that aims to bring the events of 1576 to life while adding a contemporary twist.
“The Spanish Fury is one of those events that cannot be separated from the Antwerp of today. It was a dramatic turning point that left a deep mark on the city and its inhabitants,” said Paul Cordy (N-VA), District Mayor responsible for Culture. “450 years later, we want not only to tell that history, but also to commemorate it and make it tangible. With ‘Furie!’, we are giving a new generation the opportunity to reflect on what happened then and why it remains part of Antwerp’s story today.”
The programme is being developed by Bad van Marie, which specialises in visual experiential theatre. Author Jeroen Olyslaegers is also involved, bringing his literary perspective on Antwerp’s history to the project.
The event is free and runs from 19:00 to 20:30 on Wednesday 4 November at the Grote Markt.
The story behind the Spanish Fury
A second event on Friday 6 November will take a more academic look at the events of 1576. Three historians – Guido Marnef, Pieter Serrien, and Bram De Ridder – will explore Antwerp at the time of the Spanish Fury, each from their own area of expertise.
Their talks will be interspersed with sixteenth-century music performed by lute player Stan Geudens and mezzo-soprano Katerina Blitzkovska.
The venue itself carries historical significance. Antwerp City Hall was set on fire during the Spanish Fury, with only its historic façade surviving the blaze.
The academic evening starts at 19:00 in the Wedding Hall of Antwerp City Hall on Friday 6 November. Admission is free, with registration required.
Art and museums in Antwerp
- EXHIBITION | ‘Antwerp Unfiltered’ brings 3,000 analogue views of the city to Het Steen, from 27 September 2026 to January 2027.
- ANTWERP | FOMU to open three new exhibitions by Graciela Iturbide, Léonard Pongo and Lola Pertsowsky.
- PHOTOS | Behind The Scenes tour of the Antwerp opera house.
- Medieval Antwerp comes to life with archaeological exhibition at Het Steen.
- ANTWERP | ‘Antony Gormley. Geestgrond’ opens at KMSKA as the most comprehensive solo exhibition of the artist in Europe.
- Opera Ballet Vlaanderen unveils ‘À la flamande’ 2026–2027 season.
- ANTWERP | What if colours could sing? Masterpieces by Ensor, Wouters and Schmalzigaugnsor, Wouters and Schmalzigaug’, from 11 April to 30 August 2026.
- RED STAR LINE MUSEUM | ‘Drifting Belgians’, the incredible journey of the ghost walkers, until 30 August 2026.
- ANTWERP | ‘Martial Arts’: MAS exhibition explores the rich world of combat sports and martial traditions.
- REVIEW | ‘The Antwerp Six’ exhibition at the Antwerp fashion museum MoMu.
- ANTWERP | Museum Plantin-Moretus’ ‘Plantin’s Plants’ exhibition until 2 August 2026.
- ANTWERP | M HKA opens new season with exhibition on censorship and artistic resistance.
- ANTWERP | Climb the Cathedral of Our Lady tower.
- ANTWERP | Rubens House appoints two design teams.
- Antwerp’s municipal museums surpass 2 million visitors in 2025.
- ANTWERP | KMSKA schedules ambitious exhibition programme for 2026, featuring international masters such as Antony Gormley, Philip Aguirre y Otegui and Ossip Zadkine.
- Museums of the City of Antwerp look ahead to 2026.
- REVIEW | ‘La ligne de vie’ René Magritte exhibition at Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA).
- 2028 to be Music Year in Antwerp.
- ANTWERP | Museum Mayer van den Bergh opens exhibition ‘Public Favourites’, from Mad Meg to Delft Blue, look at art through other people’s eyes.
- ANTWERP | Graphics Museum De Reede ft. Francisco Goya, Edvard Munch, Félicien Rops and Albrecht Dürer.
- ANTWERP | Rubens Experience and Rubens Garden at Rubenshuis.
- ANTWERP | Innovations in the Middelheim Museum provide a completely new visitor experience.
- A visit of the Flemish Tram and Bus Museum – Vlaams Tram- en Autobusmuseum (VlaTAM) in Antwerp.
- ANTWERP | Discovering queer(ed) art with the Queer Tour at the KMSKA fine arts museum.
- REVIEW | Illusion Antwerpen, an active and photogenic museum.
- Antwerp museums and sports facilities team up with European Disability Card for accessible leisure activities.
- Museum Mayer van den Bergh.
- ANTWERP | Inside Rubens House.
- Museum Plantin-Moretus in Antwerp.
- ANTWERP | Museum Vleeshuis up for restoration.
- BOOK | ‘Antwerp. An Archaeological View on the Origin of the City’ by Tim Bellens.
- Red Star Line Museum.
- Paleis op de Meir.
- DIVA, Antwerp Home of Diamonds.
- ANTWERP | Red Star Line Museum of (e)migration.
