Namaste Community

Kerala’s harvest festival

Onam in Belgium

Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent each have a Malayali association with an Onam celebration; banana leaves and Kerala vegetables are stocked by the Indian grocers in Brussels and Antwerp the week before.

Onam events in Belgium0 listed

No Onam events posted in Belgium yet — organisers usually list them four to six weeks ahead. See everything coming up in Belgium, or post yours from the app.

What Onam is

Kerala’s harvest festival: a 26-dish sadya on a banana leaf, pookalam flower carpets, and Malayali associations everywhere booking a hall for it.

Onam welcomes the mythical king Mahabali home to Kerala. The ten days end on Thiruvonam with the Onasadya — a vegetarian feast of two dozen dishes served on a banana leaf — and are marked with pookalam floral designs, boat races, and the tiger dance, pulikali.

Onam dates and how it is celebrated around the world →

If it is your first one in Belgium

  • The sadya is eaten by hand, seated, and served in a fixed order — follow your neighbour.
  • Wear white and gold (kasavu) if you have it; it is the one day the whole hall does.

Previous Onam events in Belgium

Most of these return every year with the same organisers.

Questions people ask

When is Onam in Belgium in this year?
Onam falls on the usual August – September dates. It is not a public holiday in Belgium, so the community celebrates on the weekends around it — events are listed on this page as organisers post them, usually four to six weeks ahead.
Where can I celebrate Onam in Belgium?
Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent each have a Malayali association with an Onam celebration; banana leaves and Kerala vegetables are stocked by the Indian grocers in Brussels and Antwerp the week before.
Can non-Indians go to Onam events in Belgium?
Yes. Almost every community event is open to everyone and runs in English; temple and gurdwara celebrations welcome visitors too — dress modestly, and cover your head in a gurdwara.

More festivals in Belgium

See these events ranked by distance

RSVP, see who else is going, chat with the organiser and get a reminder — in the app, free, in every country.

Organising something?

Post it from the app under Events, wherever you are. It is free, a moderator checks it, and it appears here and to every member nearby. Running several a year? Email hello@namaste.community for a listing invite.