On 15 September, International Day of Democracy, Brussels will spend the day focusing on one of the most important questions of our time: how do we keep our democracy strong, resilient and relevant in a rapidly changing society?
The Democracy Forward Inspiration Festival is an annual gathering of projects, ideas and stakeholders on a stronger and more resilient democracy.
At a time when Brussels is preparing for its role as European Capital of Democracy in 2027, this day serves as an invitation to explore together what kind of democracy we want to build for tomorrow.
During the day: Inspiration Festival at the BELvue museum
During the day, the BELvue Museum provides the setting for an inspirational festival that brings together a broad democratic community. Fund's laureates, organisations, thinkers and initiators meet here.
Participation is free, but places are limited to 80. More info and registrations:
External siteDemocracy Forward - Inspiration Festival
Evening: debate and reflection at Bozar
In the evening, the programme moves to Bozar for a series of discussions and talks featuring Belgian and international thinkers, journalists and opinion leaders. Two major themes will be central to these discussions.
- The future of independent media and reliable information in an age of algorithms, economic pressures and disinformation.
- The question of how democracy can continue to renew itself and adapt to the challenges of the 21st century.
Speakers
- David Van Reybrouck (writer and historian)
- Rosie Parkyn (CEO of the foundation that publishes The Guardian)
- Karen Donders (Director of Public Service, Talent & Organisation at VRT)
- Thomas Leysen (Chair of Mediahuis)
- Erik Roddenhof (CEO of DPG Media)
More info and tickets?
External siteDemocracy Talk: without facts, no democracy
The Democracy Forward Inspiration Festival is the annual gathering organised by the National Lottery Fund for Democracy, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation and in partnership with Bozar, BELvue and the City of Brussels.
![Download in iCal format](data:text/calendar;charset=utf8,BEGIN:VCALENDAR%0AVERSION:2.0%0ABEGIN:VTIMEZONE%0ATZID:Europe/Brussels%0ABEGIN:DAYLIGHT%0ATZOFFSETFROM:+0100%0ARRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=-1SU%0ADTSTART:19810329T020000%0ATZNAME:CEST%0ATZOFFSETTO:+0200%0AEND:DAYLIGHT%0ABEGIN:STANDARD%0ATZOFFSETFROM:+0200%0ARRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=10;BYDAY=-1SU%0ADTSTART:19961027T030000%0ATZNAME:CET%0ATZOFFSETTO:+0100%0AEND:STANDARD%0AEND:VTIMEZONE%0ABEGIN:VEVENT%0ADTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260915T000000%0ADTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260915%0ASUMMARY:Democracy Forward Inspiration Festival%0AX-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:<p>On 15 September, <strong>International Day of Democracy</strong>, Brussels will spend the day focusing on one of the most important questions of our time: how do we keep our democracy strong, resilient and relevant in a rapidly changing society?</p><p>The <strong>Democracy Forward Inspiration Festival</strong> is an annual gathering of projects, ideas and stakeholders on a stronger and more resilient democracy.</p><p>At a time when Brussels is preparing for its role as <a href="/city-brussels-designated-european-capital-democracy-2027"><strong>European Capital of Democracy in 2027</strong></a>, this day serves as an invitation to explore together what kind of democracy we want to build for tomorrow.</p><h2>During the day: Inspiration Festival at the BELvue museum</h2><p>During the day, the BELvue Museum provides the setting for an inspirational festival that brings together a broad democratic community. Fund's laureates, organisations, thinkers and initiators meet here. </p><p>Participation is free, but places are limited to 80. More info and registrations:</p><p><a href="https://discover.50yearskbf.be/en/activities/inspiration-festival-loterie-nationale">Democracy Forward - Inspiration Festival</a></p><h2>Evening: debate and reflection at Bozar</h2><p>In the evening, the programme moves to Bozar for a series of discussions and talks featuring Belgian and international thinkers, journalists and opinion leaders. Two major themes will be central to these discussions.</p><ul><li data-list-item-id="ed9d7a817f9d530ad92e15bb7e706865e">The future of independent media and reliable information in an age of algorithms, economic pressures and disinformation.</li><li data-list-item-id="ec6a084976702ec5db171b969c0ddcee4">The question of how democracy can continue to renew itself and adapt to the challenges of the 21st century.</li></ul><h3>Speakers</h3><ul><li data-list-item-id="ebf2fa46836aa9740d17c5cd450c5bdbc"><strong>David Van Reybrouck</strong> (writer and historian)</li><li data-list-item-id="efedd3499de1af3dacee97f3ab58b155d"><strong>Rosie Parkyn</strong> (CEO of the foundation that publishes The Guardian)</li><li data-list-item-id="eda344d5d434a92b95defa8dd13344e2d"><strong>Karen Donders </strong>(Director of Public Service, Talent & Organisation at VRT)</li><li data-list-item-id="e2194d4b3d0df59ddcbf7b092bc0eccfc"><strong>Thomas Leysen</strong> (Chair of Mediahuis)</li><li data-list-item-id="e230b4faabd3670dcd4e0a30a82e4fa0e"><strong>Erik Roddenhof</strong> (CEO of DPG Media)</li></ul><h3>More info and tickets?</h3><p><a href="https://www.bozar.be/en/calendar/democracy-talk-without-facts-no-democracy">Democracy Talk: without facts, no democracy</a></p><p>[button url="https://tickets.bozar.be/selection/event/date?productId=10229842448098&lang=en"]Tickets[/button]</p><p>The Democracy Forward Inspiration Festival is the annual gathering organised by the National Lottery Fund for Democracy, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation and in partnership with Bozar, BELvue and the City of Brussels.</p><p><img src="/sites/default/files/bxl/logos.png" alt="Logos of partners" width="829" height="89"></p>%0ALOCATION:Bozar (Hall M)%0AEND:VEVENT%0AEND:VCALENDAR){kind=link}