WHAT'S ON
Full List
MEMBERS Bar BAR I Thurs 9th Oct I From 6pm For Members & guests. Not a member? Request an invitation
Culture | Thurs 9th Oct | 7:00-8:30 pm
Monthly meet up to discuss a great read, along with drinks & good company.
*Doors open at 6.30pm. The book club begins at 7pm.
Heart Lamp is the winner of the International Booker Prize 2025. In 12 stories, author Banu Mushtaq exquisitely captures the everyday lives of women and girls in Muslim communities in southern India.Published originally in the Kannada language between 1990 and 2023, praised for their dry and gentle humour, these portraits of family and community tensions testify to Mushtaq’s years as a journalist and lawyer, championing women’s rights and protesting all forms of caste and religious oppression.
Written in a style at once witty, vivid, colloquial, moving and excoriating, it’s in her characters that Mushtaq emerges as an astonishing writer and observer of human nature, building disconcerting emotional heights out of a rich spoken style. Her opus has garnered both censure from conservative quarters as well as India’s most prestigious literary awards.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Banu Mushtaq is a writer, activist and lawyer in the state of Karnataka, southern India. Winner of the International Booker Prize 2025 for Heart Lamp.
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ADDITIONAL INFO
ACCESS
Bar & snacks
DINNER DINING I Fri 10th Oct I 7-9.30pm Book your dinner before/after the event ** OPEN TO ALL**
The menu will be published here, several the days before the dining date.
Live Jive Jungle
Jan Harbeck Quartet
Music / Fri 10th Oct / Doors 8pm *Doors open at 8pm. Band starts at 8.30pm.
*Dinner option available, please book in advance*
Jan Harbeck (tenor saxophone), Thor Madsen (guitar), Jeppe Skovbakke (electric bass), Peter Leth (drums) Live Jive Jungle is known for its powerful drum grooves and captivating melodies. With his acoustic group, the Jan Harbeck Quartet, Jan Harbeck recorded the jungle-drum jazz classic Sing, Sing, Sing on the album Copenhagen Nocturne. That track sparked the idea of creating a new band dedicated to exploring that particular sound and expression. The result was Live Jive Jungle — and ever since, audiences have been thrilled by the band’s outgoing, highenergy playing style, full of raw nerve and compelling intensity. Jan Harbeck has received several notable awards, including the Ben Webster Prize, the Bent Jædig Prize, and a Danish Music Award for Jazz Album of the Year. Live Jive Jungle’s album ELEVATE has been very well received: “This is pulsating big-city jazz, where an uptempo beat raises both the heart rate and the mood. The undisputed star is of course Jan Harbeck, who wrote all the tracks on the album. He has never disappointed, and with Live Jive Jungle he adds a new chapter to his career.” — Niels Overgård, JazzNyt (Denmark) “You won’t need seating at a Live Jive Jungle concert — it’s impossible to sit still to this music.” — Frithjof Strauß, Jazz Podium (Germany)
“You can feel in every single note how much fun the musicians are having — playing boogaloo, swing, jive and blues together. That joy is instantly transferred to the audience.” — Bak, CONCERTO (Austria) “Given the right exposure, Live Jive Jungle can't fail. The compositions are all by Harbeck who also blows gutsy tenor. Harbeck is an es (Danish for ace – thanks Google) tenor player and the other guys are also es men. This is just so lovely.” — Lance, Bebop Spoken Here (UK) “Harbeck expresses himself with clarity and fluency — driving phrases, tender embellishments, and plaintive tones. That full-bodied sound he’s known for really shines, supported by Madsen’s and Skovbakke’s tasteful solos and obligatos. The album brims with quality, infectious enthusiasm, and beautiful detail. ELEVATE demonstrates, in a relaxed way, that only when music is taken seriously can it truly become fun.” — Jakob Hassing, Jazz Special (Denmark) “Joyful and gritty.” “A cohesive group performance that will move the listener.” — Rolf Thomas, Jazz thing (Germany) “A very successful production, rich in variation. What the musicians share is their cool approach and their tight interplay – at a very high level.” — Wolfgang Giese, MUSIK AN SICH (Germany) “Fascinating, contemporary, laid-back and energetic. Harbeck’s tunes — all of them his own — could easily fit right into the American Songbook. Elevate is an album that deserves to bring Harbeck and his bandmates to the world stage.” — Jan Granlie, Salt Peanuts (Norway)
ACCES
Bar & snacks & light food
CAFE & BAR OPEN
CAFE-BAR I Sat 11th Oct I 2pm-7pm **OPEN TO ALL**
The Full Circle bar & cafe is open with a whole menu of hot & cold drinks, light snacks, and on some occasions, food is available. No need to book, just drop by.
Gong Bath
Wellbeing / Sat 11th Oct / 3-4.30pm
*This event will only go ahead if there are 15 people registered.
Come recharge your batteries with a truly revitalising gong session. This gong therapy will renew your energy and calm your mind as the resonating sounds of different gongs wash over you.
You need to bring your own equipment (mat & blanket) or you can rent it from us for 8€ (see in the registration form).
Gabriela Garcia Toledo has dedicated herself to personal and holistic development since 2005 when a life-altering brain injury prompted to reevaluate her path. Leaving a career in EU affairs, she embraced a new path by becoming a certified yoga instructor for children and adults, and developed a deep proficiency in gong therapy, driven by her belief in the restorative power of sound. Her vision is that sound therapy will offer innovative insights to healthcare, providing safe and effective solutions for a wide range of conditions without adverse effects.
Claudio Salinas is a dedicated practitioner and teacher of sound and frequency therapy. Based in Brussels, he is originally from Argentina. His journey as a seeker has led him to specialize in tools like gongs, singing bowls, and tuning forks, aiding individuals in their personal transformation journeys. Claudio has trained intensively with renowned masters in the field of gong and sound therapy, gaining a wealth of knowledge and experience. In recent years, he has broadened his practice to include vocal techniques and a deep understanding of frequency, using the power of voice to release blockages and facilitate self-expression as well as addressing in particular issues related to stress and burnout.
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Tahmid Chowdhury
Social | Sat 11th Oct | 3-5 pm
It's hard not to feel downbeat by the amount of negativity and pessimism that we are often surrounded by – whether the constant reminders of how 'busy' and 'stressed' we all are, or the negative news cycle pulling us into a state of misery.
Many of us came to Brussels with lofty ambitions to improve the world around us. But as time has gone by, perhaps we lost connection with our 'why'.
Perhaps you've been working in the EU bubble or a large organisation. You've found things have gone a little stale, and you want more space to be stimulated and to have an injection of positive and innovative thinking in your life.
If that's the case, join us!
The aim of this gathering is to build a community which reinjects a much-needed sense of inclusion and positivity in the Brussels landscape. By bringing together kindred-spirits, we can reconnect with our sense of purpose to make the world a better place.
The social will be informal, allowing for open and free-flowing conversation. There will be some light facilitation to help people get to know each other. There will be conversation prompts and some introductory words and framing for each session.
Come along and bring your friends!
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On Israel & Palestine
Sandra Melone & Eva Dalak
Conversations / Sat 11th Oct / 5-7pm *
Join us for a critical conversation on peace in Israel and Palestine. Joining Sandra is Eva Dalak, an Israeli Palestinian and a peace activator with over two decades of experience in conflict transformation.
Eva is the founder of Peace Activation and co-founder of One Whole Peace, both soul-centred peace movements in Palestine and Israel bringing citizens of different faiths together in conflict transformation. She is passionate about activating peace, promoting gender equality, interfaith dialogue, and empowering communities to build peace from within.
As a skilled conflict transformation facilitator, peacebuilding trainer, and gender advisor, Eva has amassed experience in over 22 countries in conflict zones across Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. She is committed to promoting individual soul-centred leadership and radical responsibility through innovative and entrepreneurial initiatives.
Open to everyone | Booking required Bar open
* This event was postponed from July 2025, due to travel restrictions.
Hosting the Series is Sandra Djuvara Melone, CEO of Zancora Consulting, which she founded in 2021, with a strong expertise in peacebuilding, conflict resolution, crisis management, human rights and, not last, gender. With a vast experience on the ground, she has worked across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. She knows first hand what living through civil war is like. Sandra is the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Search for Common Ground, Europe, one of the world’s leading international non-governmental organisations working in peacebuilding and conflict transformation, where she's been involved in various roles since 1995. Sandra is a founding member of the European Platform for Conflict Prevention and Transformation (EPCPT), of the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO), and of the Child Soldiers Initiative (CSI). Before dedicating her career to conflict transformation, Sandra worked in human rights advocacy with Amnesty International, and in international education.
Bar open with snacks
Clarinet Viola Piano Trios
by Brussels Muzieque
Music / Sun 12th Oct /
Doors open 5pm, concert at 5.30pm
Brussels Muzieque opens its 2025 Fall Season with a concert featuring clarinetist Daniel Mourek, violist Monika Mlynarczyk, and pianist Monika Dars. The programme brings together two late-Romantic masterpieces: Johannes Brahms’s Trio in A minor, Op. 114, performed here in its transcription for clarinet, viola, and piano, and selections from Max Bruch’s Eight Pieces, Op. 83.
Originally written for clarinet, cello, and piano, Brahms’s Trio takes on a different character when played with viola: the darker warmth of the cello gives way to the viola’s more veiled and lyrical timbre, bringing out new shades in the dialogue with clarinet and piano. Paired with Bruch’s richly colored cycle, the programme offers a unique perspective on this rarely heard repertoire, highlighting the expressive possibilities of this unusual instrumental combination.
MEMBERS Bar BAR I Thurs 16th Oct I From 6pm For Members & guests. Not a member? Request an invitation
Ben Chu
Salon / Ideas | Fri 17th Oct | 6.30-8.30pm
*Doors open at 6.30pm. The speaker will start at 7pm.
Not a Member yet? Join Full Circle now & come to events at the Members' rate!
Nations are turning away from each other. Faith in globalisation has been undermined by the pandemic, the energy crisis, surging trade wars and great power rivalry. A new vision is competing to replace the economic order we've known for many decades. One that leading economic journalist Ben Chu calls Exile Economics. A rejection of interdependence, a downgrading of multilateral collaboration and a striving for greater national self-sufficiency. The supporters of this new order argue it will establish genuine security, prosperity and peace. But is this promise achievable? Or a seductive delusion?
Through the stories of globally traded commodities - from silicon to steel, from soybeans to solar panels - Ben Chu illustrates the intricate web of interdependence that has come to bind nations together - and underlines the dangers of this new push to isolationism. There are far better alternatives to exile. Join Ben as he guides us to this new world in all its promise and peril.
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Ben Chu is one of the leading economic journalists of our time, renowned for making complex economic ideas urgently intelligible. A former economics editor at Newsnight and The Independent and now Policy and Analysis Correspondent at BBC Verify, Chu has long challenged the austerity consensus with clarity and conviction. Chu’s work is grounded in a deep moral concern for how economic narratives shape everyday lives. He was nominated for Business Journalist of the Year at the 2015 British Journalism Awards and for Business Commentator of the Year at the 2018 Comment Awards. He was born in Manchester to a Chinese father and British mother. He lives in London.
GOOD READS
Exile Economics, What happens if globalisation fails (2025); Chinese Whispers: Why Everything You've Heard about China is Wrong (2013).
KEY LINKS
Website: Ben Chu
BUY THE BOOK
DINNER DINING I Fri 17th Oct I 7-9.30pm Book your dinner before/after the event ** OPEN TO ALL**
SINGLES APERO
Social | Sat 18th Oct | 7-9pm
The Singles Apero is our popular series of monthly encounters where you can meet other social singles in a safe space without matching pressure. Feel free to bring any single friends along or just come by yourself.
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MEMBERS Bar BAR I Thurs 23rd Oct I From 6pm For Members & guests. Not a member? Request an invitation
Andreea Petre-Gonçalves
Ideas / Conversations | Thurs 23rd Oct | 6:30-8:30 pm
Join us for a hopeful conversation with Andreea. *This month we are exceptionally meeting on a Thursday. Save the date. Theme announced soon.
A monthly conversations Series at Full Circle to interrogate our ideas of what is normal and desirable in society. Together we walk towards the mindset shifts that are needed to protect our planet, make the world safe and ensure lives and dignity and meaning for all.
Andreea Petre-Goncalves was 8 years old when totalitarian Communism collapsed overnight in her native Romania. She saw then how quickly yesterday’s absolute truth can become tomorrow reviled atrocity. She knows that societal narratives can shift fast, and when they do, they make deep system re-set possible. For two decades she worked for international development, human rights, health and sustainability in the EU institutions and international NGOs. In 2019 she set up Flare, a Brussels-based think-and-do tank that experiments with practical ways of shifting the collective ideas we hold of what is normal and desirable. This work builds on 15 years of her researching and writing about societal narrative shifts. She is a BMW Foundation Responsible Leader and a member of Global Diplomacy Lab.
Wake up Europe: Watching the slide
Women Against Fascism (WAF)
Conversations / Fri 24th Oct / 7 pm
Our democracies - all around the world - are under threat from many sides. We are witnessing the de-legitimising of democratic processes, dismantling of institutions, active policies and practices that are counter democratic.
These conversations set out expose the democratic slide towards authoritarianism, bringing together experiences and testimonies from around the world, to engage with decision makers, activists, concerned citizens,
Voice & Connection: A Singing Circle for All
with singer & vocal coach Gudrun Roos from “Zing je zen”
Wellbeing / Fri 24th Oct / 7-8.30pm
Let go of the belief that you can’t sing or that your voice isn’t good enough - singing is a natural way to express yourself and connect with others.
Join us for a unique singing circle where we focus on feeling the vibrations of our voices, not on perfection or technique.
Together, we’ll explore rhythms, melodies, and sounds, allowing everyone’s unique voice to shine without judgment. Whether we’re drawing inspiration from shamanic chants, mantras, or spontaneous melodies, this is a space for deep connection and relaxation.
Singing in a group is a powerful, energizing experience that will leave you feeling rejuvenated and free.
Come as you are - no musical experience or knowledge is needed!
Website: www.zingjezen.be
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zingjezen/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zingjezen
in partnership with The Brussels Times
Social | Wed 29th Oct | 7.30-9.30pm
Put your general knowledge to the test at our Pub Quiz night with The Brussels Times! Come with a team or join one when you arrive – we’ll match you up.
Join us for fun night of trivia, drinks & good company. Bring your knowledge & let’s quiz!
Open to all | Bar open with drinks & snacks
MEMBERS Bar BAR I Thurs 30th Oct I From 6pm For Members & guests. Not a member? Request an invitation
MEMBERS Bar BAR I Thurs 6th Nov I From 6pm For Members & guests. Not a member? Request an invitation
Culture | Thurs 6th Nov | 7:00-8:30 pm
In the first part of Solvej Balle’s epic septology, Tara Selter has slipped out of time. Every morning, she wakes up to the 18th of November. She no longer expects to wake up to the 19th of November, and she no longer remembers the 17th of November as if it were yesterday. She comes to know the shape of the day like the back of her hand – the grey morning light in her Paris hotel; the moment a blackbird breaks into song; her husband’s surprise at seeing her return home unannounced. But for everyone around her, this day is lived for the first and only time. As Tara approaches her 365th 18th of November, she can’t shake the feeling that somewhere underneath the surface of this day, there’s a way to escape.
Solvej Balle is a Danish author and publisher. She made her debut in 1986 with Lyrebird and went on to write one of the 1990s’ most acclaimed works of Danish literature, According to the Law: Four Accounts of Mankind. Following this, she disappeared from the spotlight, moving from Copenhagen to the small island of Ærø, where she founded her publishing house, Pelagraf. Nearly 30 years later, the first book of a planned septology, On the Calculation of Volume I, was self-published. Five books have been published in Danish so far, with translations underway, and it was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025.
SWITCH-OFF CAFE & BAR
CAFE-BAR I Sat 8th Nov I 2pm-7pm
Leave your devices at the door. **OPEN TO ALL**
Find out more about pur monthly Switch-off Cafe. The Full Circle bar & cafe is open with a whole menu of hot & cold drinks, light snacks, and on some occasions, food is available. No need to book, just drop by.
CAFE-BAR I Sat 8th Nov I 2pm-7pm **OPEN TO ALL**
with Andreea Petre-Goncalves
Ideas / Conversations | Sat 8th Nov | 5-7pm
Join us for a hopeful conversation with Andreea. Stay tuned, more details coming soon.
Open to everyone
MEMBERS Bar BAR I Thurs 13th Nov I From 6pm For Members & guests. Not a member? Request an invitation
Ideas / Salon | Fri 14th Nov | 6.30-8.30 pm
How do the Earth's killers think? What makes their crimes so deadly? And how can we stop them from stealing our future? Psychologist Julia Shaw is a master at looking at the why human beings do the (evil) things they do. From oil spills to illegal deforestation, she exposes the disturbing underbelly of environmental crime whilst also shining a light on the heroes attempting to thwart its progress.
Using insider sources and her expertise as a criminal psychologist, Julia Shaw takes us deep into some of the worst environmental crimes of our time (think Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Dieselgate emissions scandal, or the Shuidong wildlife crime syndicate).
She reconstructs the minds of the perpetrators and, from the Amazon forest to South African gold mines, she follows the impact of green crimes right to our doorsteps, and meticulously profiles the work of the heroes bringing these criminals to justice.
Julia Shaw is a German-Canadian criminal psychologist at University College London, bestselling author, and regular presenter of TV and audio shows. As a scientist, she specialises in false memory, memory hacking, investigative interviewing, and understanding the criminal mind, as well as identity in the age of social media and digital ethics. She is also a best-selling writer translated into twenty languages, author of four books. She strives to to form more tolerant, respectful and inclusive working places and environments. In 2017 Julia co-founded the startup Spot which uses artificial intelligence and memory science to help individuals document and report inappropriate workplace behaviour. In 2024 she released two series on BBC Radio 4. Experts on Trial, about the secret world of expert witnesses, and The Human Subject, co-hosted by Dr Adam Rutherford, about the dark history of modern medicine. Between 2020 and 2024 she wrote and hosted the award-winning BBC Sounds podcast Bad People.She has also been a presenter for German television.
Green Crime, Inside the Minds of the People Destroying the Planet, and How to Stop Them (2025); Bi, The Hidden Culture, History and Science of Bisexuality (2022); Making Evil, The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side (2020); The Memory Illusion, Remembering, Forgetting and the Science of False Memory (2016).
Julia Shaw
DINNER DINING I Fri 14 Nov I 7-9.30pm Book your dinner before/after the event ** OPEN TO ALL**
Social | Sat 15th Nov | 3-5 pm
Theme & guest to be announced
Sandra Melone
Conversations | Sat 15th Nov | 5-7pm
Join us for a critical conversation on conflict and peace with our experience host, Sandra Melone. Open to everyone | Booking required
Bar open
Social | Sat 15th Nov | 7-9pm
MEMBERS Bar BAR I Thurs 20th Nov I From 6pm For Members & guests. Not a member? Request an invitation
A.C. GRAYLING
Salon / Ideas | Fri 20th Nov | 6.30-8.30pm
The ‘war on wokeness’ may feel like a new phenomenon, but in fact, it’s been around for centuries. People have been ‘cancelled’, in one way or another, since the beginning of time – it’s human nature to form tribes, create an Us vs Them, and serve as judge, jury and so on. And yet, it feels like today we can’t talk about anything. How did we end up here?
Nuanced and historically grounded, philosopher Anthony Grayling searches for middle ground in an otherwise incendiary debate. Looking at the history of cancellation, from Ancient Greek ostracism through hemlock cups, witch trials and the House of Un-American Activities, his is a timely examination of the state of our public culture and the chilling effect it's having on intellectual discourse.
A.C. Grayling is an outstanding British philosopher and public intellectual, as well as a prolific author (over 30 books) and frequent writer, columnist, broadcaster and commentator on all of the main national media in the United Kingdom. He contributes to the ongoing reflection on how we should live and about possibilities for good lives in good societies. In 2011 he founded and became the first Master of New College of the Humanities, an independent undergraduate college in London. He was previously Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London, where he taught from 1991. He is also a supernumerary fellow of St Anne’s College, Oxford. He has been a judge on the Booker Prize twice, in 2015 serving as the Chair of the judging panel. He is a Vice President of the British Humanist Association, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Discriminations, Making peace in the culture wars (2025); Who owns the moon, In defence of humanity's common interests in Space (2024); Philosophy and Life, Exploring the great questions of how to live (2023); For the Good of the World, Why our planet's crises need global agreement now (2022); The Frontiers of Knowledge: What We Know about Science, History and the Mind (2021); The Good State, On the Principles of Democracy (2020); Democracy and Its Crises (2017); War: An Enquiry (Vices and Virtues) (2017); The Challenge of Things: Thinking through troubled times (2015); Ideas That Matter: The Concepts That Shape the 21st Century (2010); Liberty In The Age Of Terror (2009); The Mystery Of Things (2004); Meditations for the Humanist: Ethics for a Secular Age (2002); and more...
DINNER DINING I Thurs 20 Nov I 7-9.30pm Book your dinner before/after the event ** OPEN TO ALL**
Conversations / Fri 21st Nov / 7 pm
Wellbeing / Fri 21th Nov / 7-8.30pm
MEMBERS Bar BAR I Thurs 27th Nov I From 6pm For Members & guests. Not a member? Request an invitation
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MEMBERS Bar BAR I Thurs 4th Dec I From 6pm For Members & guests. Not a member? Request an invitation
CAFE-BAR I Sat 6th Dec I 2pm-7pm **OPEN TO ALL**
The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits
Culture | Thurs 11th Dec | 7:00-8:30 pm
'Why aren't all novels like this?' - THE CRITIC
What's left when the kids grow up and leave home? When Tom Layward's wife had an affair he resolved to leave her as soon as his youngest daughter turned eighteen. Twelve years later, while taking her to Pittsburgh to start university, he remembers his pact, and keeps driving West. An unforgettable road trip novel, The Rest of Our Lives beautifully explores the nuance and complications of a long term marriage. A mix of funny, poignant and thought-provoking.
Ben Markovits is a British-American author and grew up in Texas, London and Berlin. He left an unpromising career as a professional basketball player to study the Romantics and write novels. He has taught high school English, worked at a left-wing cultural magazine, and written essays, stories and reviews for The New York Times, Esquire, Granta, The Guardian, The London Review of Books and The Paris Review and others. He has published several novels meanwhile winning prizes and accolades such as the James Tait Black Prize for Fiction, a Pushcart Prize for short story. He lives in London and teaches creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Wellbeing / Thurs 18th Nov / 7-8.30pm
We only have 120 tickets and we always sell out!!
It's time to dust off your dancing shoes and join a traditional Scottish ceilidh.
No previous experience or dancing skills required - the band will be calling out the steps as we go along. If you're a ceilidh regular then you know how much fun it is!
Bring your friends or come along but please, no spikey heels on our rather beautiful wooden floor.
*7.30pm - Doors open
*8.00pm - Start dancing!
*10.30pm - Band finishes
*Ticket includes 1 drink (beer, wine or soft)
*Book your dinner by clicking the image below:
Bar & light food
The Hoggies are the original Brussels-based Scottish ceilidh band.
FULL CIRCLE HOUSE
89 Ch. de Vleurgat, Brussels 1050, Belgium +32 (0)2 644 3777 I info [ AT ] fullcircle.eu
BOOK A VISIT
OPENING MON-WED & FRI 9AM-5.30PM THURS 9AM-9PMSAT 2PM-7PM (or 9PM) SUNDAY & PUBLIC HOLIDAYS - CLOSED
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