Once upon a time, ten years ago now, there was the start of a dream. In April 2010 VIAGE opened its doors in a building on the Boulevard Anspach. The new place-to-be, a genuine temple of relaxation with playing areas, bar, restaurant and shows, was a reality.
VIAGE, a name combining the Italian ‘viaggio’ and the Spanish ‘Viaje’, which in both cases means as much as adventure and journey, was at the start of its own amazing journey. But visitors feel a bit like adventurers too as they stroll from floor to floor, from room to room in a building of 14,500 m2 where entertainment, restaurant visits, bar and games go hand in hand.
And then came 2020, a year that would be full of festivities to celebrate our lustrum. It turned out differently. For months now, the Viage Theatre has been standing there deserted instead of buzzing with the many events we had planned. Just last year there was the sensational ‘The Great Gatsby’ show, Prince performed there twice, The Gibson Brothers, Paul Anka, Kool & The Gang, and many others passed by in the past years. We therefor join SOS Sound Of Silence. Our adventure, our journey, cannot and should not end here.
Don’t let the music die, don’t let the lights burn out
Culture is an enormous added value for the sense of belonging in our society. When this sector dies, something in each of us dies. Events impact all of us. When, for example, singers can no longer make a living from performances, there will be no new music. In the end it won’t be ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’, but ‘Corona killed the radio’. No singers, no songs. No actors, no movies, no TV series. Even the street performers or the amusement park characters will die a silent death. Culture, events, are in our DNA. Even the first homo sapiens, and even the neanderthal, were already artistically engaged. For just as a comic strip is as much literature as, for example, ‘The Sorrow of Belgium’, this also applies to culture in all its forms. Culture is more than theater, opera, concerts,…, it is also a mime on the street corner, a song on the radio, a photo exhibition, a wedding party,….
We would like to be able to offer a real full evening program in our entertainment centre as soon as possible. An evening that starts with a mouthwatering cocktail at the Cinna bar, followed by a delicious dinner at VIAGE Grill, followed by a dazzling show at VIAGE Theatre to end with a game at the casino. Panem et circenses’, bread and games, you know, we need both to live ‘rich’.
