National Day

Belgium's National Day on 21 July commemorates the swearing-in of Leopold I as the first King of the Belgians on 21 July 1831, one year after the Belgian Revolution of 1830. The revolution erupted against the rule of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and led to Belgian independence. The day symbolises the birth of the modern Belgian state and its constitutional monarchy.

On 21 July, the Belgian state organises a grand military parade on the Rue de la Loi in Brussels, attended by the royal family and the country's political leadership. Municipalities across Belgium hold their own festivities, folk games and fireworks displays. The day traditionally ends with a spectacular fireworks show over Brussels and in countless other towns and villages.