Corrida
Rest assured animal rights activists, this is not a question of bringing bulls into the city center. This race termed “corrida” generally includes the following criteria:
-an urban course
-a course with more than one lap
-occurs at the end of the year
-festive atmosphere
-short distance (less than 10km). Olé!
In Brussels, the Manneken-Pis Corrida takes place every year between Christmas and New Year’s Day. It starts at Place d’Espagne and ends at the place du Vieux Marché aux Grains. Two distances are possible: 4 km or 8 km.
The Manneken-Pis Corrida course
After getting your number from the Galerie Horta (between the Gare Centrale and the Palais des Beaux Arts), head to Place d’Espagne for the start. The group start at 8.30 pm. The first kilometers (in red on the map) pass by the beautiful monuments in the city center. Then in a couple hundred meters you will cross the prestigious Galerie de la Reine before reaching the Grand Place and the obligatory Mannekin Pis. The course goes on towards the Saint-Jacques neighborhood, the boulevard Anspach, the Bourse and the mini China Town in Brussels.
At the parvis de Saint-Catherine, the second loop starts, indicated in green on the map. Right after you go up the Rue de Flandre, the course goes next to the Christmas markets. Then you enter the Béguinage area. You will go to the Vlaamse Schouwburg and then come back towards Sainte Catherine (still right next to the Béguinage). The runners doing the longer distance will do another loop. The finish line is at place Vieux Marché aux Grains right next to the big Ferris wheel at Winter Wonders (Plaisirs d’hiver).
After the run, there will be locker rooms and showers available so you can clean up before enjoying the festivities.
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