4:42 PM: the Meyboom is saved and its legend passes to a new generation

✅ CONFIRMED — Meyboom 2026, Sunday August 9, 2026, in Brussels. The tree of joy was raised at 4:42 PM, which is 18 minutes before the 5:00 PM deadline. This page, published in the morning as a live feed, is now updated with the verified result.

There are traditions that are told. And there is the Meyboom, which is raced. This Sunday, August 9, 2026, Brussels replays for the 718th time the most stubborn act of its folklore: cutting down a beech tree in the morning, carrying it across the city, and planting it imperatively before 5:00 PM at the corner of rue des Sables and rue du Marais.

One minute late, and tradition dictates that the tree of joy returns to Leuven. Since 1213, Brussels has never wanted to test the hypothesis.

✅ The verified result: 4:42 PM

It took about ten attempts to raise the beech tree at the corner of rue des Sables and rue du Marais. At 4:42 PM, the tree of joy stood straight. Eighteen minutes ahead of the sacred 5:00 PM deadline — and a successful 718th planting, as every year since 1213.

The passing of the baton by Jean Vanderhaegen

Jean Vanderhaegen, 86 years old, lived his 70th edition this Sunday. A figure of the Bûûmdroegers, he now passes the torch to the young carriers and the Bûûmettes. The most stubborn gesture of Brussels folklore changes hands without changing its soul: it is now the twenty-somethings of the neighborhood — and those coming from Etterbeek, Schaerbeek and Saint-Josse — who will carry the beech next year.

This is probably the most beautiful news of this edition: an eight-century-old tradition that does not just last, but is passed on.

How is the Meyboom tree chosen?

Everything starts well before the festival. At the end of July, the Bûûmdroegers — the tree carriers — go to find the right specimen: a beech of 18 to 20 meters, neither too thin nor too heavy, so that it can cross the city on human shoulders and not on a trailer.

On the early morning of August 9, the tree is cut, then the groups criss-cross Etterbeek, Schaerbeek and Saint-Josse-ten-Noode before presenting it at the Grand-Place and to the authorities of the Ville de Bruxelles.

Complete Meyboom program on August 9, 2026: schedule and route

• 12:00 PM — Tributes to the deceased Presidents and Companions and to the children of the neighborhood who died for the homeland.
• 12:45 PM — Departure of the procession. Head of the procession at the corner of rue des Sables and rue du Marais. Route: rue du Marais, rue Fossé aux Loups, place de la Monnaie, boulevard Anspach, rue des Pierres, Grand-Place.
• 2:10 PM — Parade of the groups on the Grand-Place, then return to the planting site via rue de la Colline, rue Marché aux Herbes, rue de la Fourche, rue de l’Écuyer and rue Montagne aux Herbes Potagères.
• From 2:00 PM — Entertainment on the Grand-Place by Kevin le Forain.
• Before 5:00 PM — Planting of the tree of joy, corner of rue des Sables / rue du Marais.

The route can be modified at the last minute by police decision.

Free entry, free of charge, outdoors. It is one of the rare major Brussels festivals where you pay nothing and where you can arrive at any point along the route.

Who are the carriers and giants of the procession?

Behind the Meyboom, there is a brotherhood: the Compagnons de Saint-Laurent, and around them the Bûûmdroegers, the Fanfare du Meyboom, the Gardevils, the Poepedroegers and the giants that dominate the procession. One week earlier, on Saturday August 1, 2026, the Journée académique had already gathered the groups from the Madeleine neighborhood to the Hôtel de Ville, with a ritual stop at Manneken-Pis, dressed for the occasion in the Bûûmdroegers' outfit.

More than just folklore, a Brussels tradition recognized by UNESCO

The Meyboom is inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. But its true strength lies elsewhere: it is a neighborhood festival, born in the old Bas-fonds, this working-class Brussels that extended from the colonne du Congrès to the rue Neuve and that the great construction sites of the 20th century largely erased. Every August 9, the neighborhood reforms for an afternoon. That is also what a living city is about.

And the brotherhood does not stop at the festival: as part of the Semaine de l’Arbre, in November, the actors of the Meyboom replant trees at the Bois de la Cambre, together with the green spaces alderman’s office.

Where to see the procession and the planting of the Meyboom?

• Best spot: the Grand-Place around 2:10 PM for the parade of the groups, or the corner of rue des Sables / rue du Marais from 4:15 PM for the planting itself.
• By public transport: De Brouckère or Rogier metro/premetro, a few minutes' walk from the planting site.
• With children: the giants and the marching band do all the work. Bring water, it is hot in early August.
• The museum: the local Meyboom museum can be visited at rue Rogier van der Weyden 18, 1000 Brussels (see the official website for opening hours).

💬 Floriane Bonnier: “I never miss a year”

“I never miss a year! It brings good luck — and once again this year, it was planted on time.”

❓ The Meyboom in questions

What is the Meyboom?

The Meyboom (“tree of joy”) is the oldest tradition in Brussels folklore: every 9 August, an 18 to 20 metre beech is cut in the morning, carried through the city and planted at the corner of rue des Sables and rue du Marais. It has been repeated since 1213.

Why must the Meyboom be planted before 5 PM?

If the tree is not standing before 5 PM, legend says it goes back to Leuven. In 2026 it was raised at 4:42 PM, 18 minutes before the deadline.

Who are the Bûûmdroegers and the Bûûmettes?

The Bûûmdroegers are the tree bearers: they pick the beech in late July and carry it on their shoulders, together with the Bûûmettes. In 2026, Jean Vanderhaegen (86, 70 editions) passed the torch to young bearers from Etterbeek, Schaerbeek and Saint-Josse.

Where can you watch the Meyboom in Brussels?

The parade crosses the Grand-Place in the early afternoon, and the planting takes place at rue des Sables / rue du Marais, a short walk from De Brouckère and Rogier. Free to attend.

🔗 Sources & verifiable links

• Planting of the Meyboom — Ville de Bruxelles
• Official planting program — meyboom.be
• Official 2026 calendar — meyboom.be
• Buumdroegers of the Meyboom are getting ready — BRUZZ (28/07/2026)
• 718th Meyboom planting: what you need to know — BX1 (08/08/2026)
• The 718th Meyboom planting celebrated to cheers, tree raised at 4:42 PM — 7sur7 (09/08/2026)
• Ten attempts, loud applause and a short rain shower — HLN (09/08/2026)
• The 718th Meyboom cut in the Forêt de Soignes (photos) — La DH (09/08/2026)
• Meyboom: Jean Vanderhaegen passes the torch to the young Bûûmdroegers — BX1 (09/08/2026)
• At 86, he will carry the Meyboom for the 70th time — L’Avenir (07/08/2026)