Could PomPomPom make craft cider Brussels’ next great local drink?
PomPomPom brings its fifth edition to the Vaux Hall in Brussels’ Royal Park on 29 and 30 August 2026, offering free admission, tastings from Belgian and other European craft cider makers, live music and DJ sets. Visitors can arrive via the accessible Parc/Park metro station, but should check the organiser’s channels for tasting prices, the final producer line-up and any capacity restrictions.
The festival offers residents and newcomers a low-barrier way to understand a Belgian drinks sector that remains much less visible than beer. Its wider importance lies in whether tastings, producer cooperation and restaurant pairings can turn occasional curiosity into a durable market.
brings Belgian and European craft cider makers to the in on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 August 2026 for its fifth edition, with free entry, paid tastings, live concerts and DJ sets. The practical essentials are simple: head to Parc de Bruxelles/ in the commune of the , use the bilingual stop name Parc/Park when planning a journey, and consult the festival’s social-media page before leaving because tasting prices and detailed on-site arrangements have not been published consistently.
The lists as the Belgian craft cider festival and confirms the weekend dates and venue. reports that the public programme runs from 12.30pm until 11pm on both days, with approximately 18 cider makers appearing each day. Admission is free, although visitors buy tasting tickets separately. The festival is therefore easy to sample casually: entry does not commit anyone to a full tasting session, while people who do drink can compare ciders rather than ordering an unfamiliar bottle outright.
## What will visitors find?
The emphasis is on small-scale cider rather than the sweet, standardised drink many consumers may associate with the category. Visit describes a generation of makers borrowing ideas from natural wine, craft beer and international cider traditions, including spontaneous fermentation, prolonged ageing and unconventional blends. Producers from and elsewhere in Europe are expected, although the complete daily roster should still be checked with the organiser.
That variety matters because “cider” covers markedly different drinks. Fermentation converts the natural sugars in pressed apple or pear juice into alcohol; the fruit varieties, yeasts, blending and maturation then influence acidity, sweetness, tannin and sparkle. A useful approach for newcomers is to ask each producer three questions: whether the cider is dry or sweet, whether it was fermented spontaneously or with selected yeast, and whether anything besides apples or pears was added. Those answers reveal more than colour alone.
’s founders are also producers. According to , four cider enthusiasts began making their Pomé cider in 2020 in the cellars of Grand Hospice and subsequently moved production to Forest/Vorst. They launched the festival a year later to give cider makers a shared public platform. Their own cider is offered exclusively at the event, BRUZZ reports.
The anniversary programme deliberately treats cider as part of a wider cultural outing rather than a specialist trade fair. Music ranges across live performance and DJ sets, while food provides an opportunity to try cider at the table instead of treating it only as an aperitif. That distinction is central to the organisers’ case: Belgian cider will struggle to become a regular purchase if consumers encounter it only once a year as a curiosity.
## Why are Belgian apples entering the conversation?
has orchards and a strong fermentation culture, yet beer and wine occupy far more space in shops, bars and the national imagination. In reporting for Le Soir’s SoSoir supplement, producers described the domestic cider sector as young and still working to turn curiosity into repeat sales. Festival co-founder Gary Schwarts said had helped producers meet one another; some later formed an association to communicate collectively and give the sector representation.
This is the broader significance of the weekend. The festival is not evidence that cider is about to displace Belgian beer, nor does its fifth edition prove a mass-market breakthrough. It does show how a small food-and-drink sector builds an identity: producers compare methods, customers learn a vocabulary, restaurants test pairings and makers gain a venue where they can explain why one orchard or fermentation produces a different result from another.
The local fruit story is appealing but requires precision. Apples grown in and around can be excellent, as the festival’s advocates argue, but participation by Belgian producers does not mean every drink is made entirely from fruit grown inside the . Anyone interested in truly local sourcing should ask where the orchard is, where pressing and fermentation occurred, and whether the maker grew the fruit or bought it. “Belgian”, “Brussels-made” and “made from Brussels fruit” are not interchangeable descriptions.
## How do you get there, and what language should you use?
The stands inside Parc de Bruxelles, called in Dutch, in the municipality—Ville de Bruxelles in French and Stad Brussel in Dutch. The nearest metro station is Parc/Park on lines 1 and 5. says the station has been step-free since June 2025, with four lifts and seven escalators, although travellers with reduced mobility should still consult the operator’s journey planner for real-time lift availability.
The central location also places the venue within walking distance of Gare Centrale/Centraal Station. signage, transport information and public websites commonly display French and Dutch names together; an English-speaking visitor searching an app may therefore get better results with “Parc/Park”, “” or “” than with an English translation such as “Royal Park”. The event page is the most useful official municipal reference, while provides the authoritative route and accessibility information.
A little tasting discipline will make the day more rewarding. Start with drier, lighter ciders before heavily flavoured or sweeter examples, share pours where permitted, eat during the session and alternate alcohol with water. Designate a non-drinking companion or use public transport. Alcohol strengths can vary considerably between products, so visitors should read labels and ask producers rather than assuming every cider is low-alcohol. Families and non-drinkers can enter the public festival, but the organiser’s current programme should be checked for alcohol-free options and age-specific tasting rules.
’s immediate test is modest: can its fifth edition convert a pleasant late-summer discovery into sustained interest in Belgian makers? After the weekend, the more revealing questions will concern attendance, sales, new restaurant or retail listings and whether producer cooperation continues beyond . Those outcomes are not yet known. For visitors, however, the proposition is already clear: free entry makes this an accessible introduction to a small Belgian sector, while a few direct questions at the stands can separate genuine orchard character from a good marketing story.
Impact
Regional — For Brussels, the festival adds a locally rooted food-and-drink event to the late-summer cultural calendar and gives producers direct access to an international urban audience. Its fruit supply chain may extend beyond the Brussels-Capital Region, so regional origin should be assessed product by product.
Local — For Brussels, PomPomPom adds a two-day, locally organised food-and-drink event to the Royal Park’s late-summer programme. Its central location and the step-free Parc/Park station on metro lines 1 and 5 make it comparatively accessible to visitors from across the city. Small producers gain direct exposure to Brussels’ international consumer base, while nearby hospitality businesses may benefit from festival traffic. The cider’s regional provenance still needs to be checked producer by producer because the fruit and makers are not necessarily based within the Brussels-Capital Region.
International — The event has a limited but genuine cross-border dimension because its tastings include Belgian and other European craft-cider makers. Brussels gives those producers access to an unusually international urban audience, including expatriates and EU institution staff, while allowing visitors to compare approaches from different cider-producing regions in one place. The festival is not presented as an EU policy event and has no stated institutional consequence; its international relevance lies instead in producer exchange, consumer discovery and the potential development of cross-border hospitality or retail interest.
What it means for you
If you want to attend, reserve 29 or 30 August 2026 and plan for opening hours of 12.30pm to 11pm. Entry is free, but bring a payment method and budget separately for tastings because prices have not been confirmed in the supplied material. Use Parc/Park station on metro lines 1 or 5 if step-free access matters. Check PomPomPom’s organiser channels shortly before travelling for the final producer list, tasting arrangements and any capacity restrictions. Visitors comparing Belgian provenance should ask individual makers where their apples are grown and where production takes place.
Opposing perspectives
- PomPomPom organisers and Belgian cider makers
They see the festival as a platform for a skilled but under-recognised domestic sector. Direct conversations, comparative tastings and cooperation among makers can help consumers understand cider as an orchard product with as much variation as craft beer or natural wine.
- Cautious retailers and occasional cider drinkers
A successful tasting weekend does not automatically create year-round demand. Belgian cider must secure repeat purchases, reliable distribution and clear explanations of price and style before it can move beyond a niche audience in a market dominated by beer and wine.
- Local-food consumers seeking strict provenance
They may welcome Brussels production while still asking where the apples were grown, pressed and fermented. A drink made in the capital is not necessarily made from Brussels fruit, making transparent orchard and processing information important.
Who, where and what
Key people, places and terms in this story
Host city and principal local market for the festival.
Region whose connection to each cider’s production or fruit origin must be assessed individually.
Country in which PomPomPom is identified as the Belgian craft-cider festival.
Venue hosting the two-day festival.
Central Brussels park containing the Vaux Hall festival venue.
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Venue hosting the two-day festival.
Central Brussels park containing the Vaux Hall festival venue.
Host city and principal local market for the festival.
Region whose connection to each cider’s production or fruit origin must be assessed individually.
Country in which PomPomPom is identified as the Belgian craft-cider festival.
Dutch name used for Brussels’ Royal Park.
Step-free metro station providing access near the festival venue.
Brussels craft-cider festival holding its fifth edition on 29 and 30 August 2026.
Cider produced by PomPomPom’s organisers.
Brussels public-transport operator confirming the accessibility of Parc/Park station.
Municipal authority identifying PomPomPom as the Belgian craft-cider festival.
Brussels media outlet reporting admission arrangements, hours and the expected number of cider makers.
Belgian news outlet included among the article’s sources.
Lifestyle publication included among the article’s sources on cider’s growing profile.
Brussels tourism organisation included in the source list.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceLa DHPrimaryprimary· dhnet.be· 28 August 2026Retrieved 28 August 2026· 35 days ago· Dated
- View sourceCity of Brusselsofficial· brussels.beRetrieved 28 August 2026
- View sourceBRUZZcorroborating· bruzz.be· 17 August 2026Retrieved 28 August 2026· 46 days ago· Dated
- View sourceSoSoir by Le Soirbackground· sosoir.lesoir.be· 16 August 2026Retrieved 28 August 2026· 47 days ago· Background / context
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This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.