Brussels school holidays 2026: term dates calendar

Which calendar your child follows in Brussels depends on the language of instruction, not just the school's location. Our Brussels city guide covers the wider sector; this page sets out the 2026 dates for both communities plus the international schools that run their own year. The two communities reformed their calendars in recent years, so the French-speaking and Flemish weeks no longer line up exactly.

Brussels public holidays 2026

All Brussels schools close on Belgian national public holidays, listed below. Several spring dates move each year because they are tied to Easter, which falls on 5 April in 2026.

Ascension Day on 14 May falls on a Thursday and is widely bridged into a four-day weekend, a pattern worth planning travel around. Belgium also marks community days (the Flemish Community day on 11 July and the French Community day on 27 September) that can affect individual schools.

Term dates 2025-26 and 2026-27

The table shows both Brussels community calendars for the 2025-26 year. The French-speaking Wallonia-Brussels Federation (FWB) reformed to a more even rhythm of breaks; the Flemish Community keeps the traditional pattern. Where a school teaches in French it follows the FWB column, and where it teaches in Dutch it follows the Flemish column.

The 2025-26 carnival and Christmas weeks align closely across both communities, while the autumn and Easter weeks can differ by a few days following the FWB reform. The 2026-27 year starts on Monday 1 September 2026. These are advisory community dates; confirm against your school's published calendar, and treat the summer start as indicative.

International school term dates

Brussels has an unusually deep international sector for its size, anchored by the four European Schools and private schools such as the British School of Brussels and the International School of Brussels. The European Schools run their own calendar across all language sections, while British and IB international schools follow a northern-hemisphere August or September to June or July year with an October half-term. These international calendars do not track the Belgian community weeks closely, so a family with children in both a local and an international school can face mismatched holidays, especially around the February and Easter breaks. Our curriculum guide sets out how the European Baccalaureate, British and IB systems each shape the year.

Planning the year

Two practical notes for Brussels families. First, the February carnival week and the Easter fortnight are the prime ski and spring-travel windows, and Brussels Airport and the Eurostar both tighten sharply over these dates, so book early. Second, if you are comparing the cost side of a move, line up your Brussels international school fees against the term structure, as billing usually follows the terms. For the national framework, see our Belgium country guide, and start a shortlist from the Brussels city hub.

Common questions

When do schools break up for summer in Brussels? Both Belgian communities break for summer from the start of July 2026 and return on 1 September. The French-speaking calendar runs the summer holiday from 1 July to 31 August.

How long is the summer holiday in Brussels? About eight to nine weeks for local Belgian schools, from early July to the end of August. International schools on a northern-hemisphere calendar take a broadly similar break from late June or early July.

When does the 2026 to 2027 school year start in Brussels? Belgian community schools start the new year on Monday 1 September 2026. International schools generally restart in late August or the first week of September.

Why do Brussels schools have different holidays? Brussels is bilingual, so schools follow either the French-speaking (FWB) or Flemish community calendar. The two communities reformed their calendars separately, so the autumn and Easter weeks no longer match exactly.

When is the February break in Brussels 2026? The spring carnival break (Detente in French, Krokus in Dutch) runs from 16 to 22 February 2026 in both communities for the 2025-26 year.

Related guides

• Brussels city guide
• International school fees in Brussels
• Belgium schools country guide
• Compare curricula