Photos of the Zinneke parade in Brussels

Posted on by Frederic Paulussen
Silhouetted performers throwing pillows and feathers into the air during a dramatic street performance at the Zinneke parade in Brussels, captured in high contrast black and white.

The Zinneke parade is one of those events that completely transforms the energy of Brussels. It is a celebration of the city itself, bringing together diverse neighborhoods, cultures, and creative minds into a single massive, moving spectacle. As a street photographer, I find it an absolute playground.

This article is meant to be a living diary of my street photography from the Zinneke parade. I plan to come back to this page and add new images every time the parade takes over the streets. Here is a look at what makes this event so special, along with the photos I have managed to capture along the way.

Why the Zinneke parade is perfect for street photography

If you have never been to the Zinneke parade, you are missing out on a very specific kind of organized chaos. The word Zinneke originally referred to the stray dogs of Brussels, but today it symbolizes the multicultural, mixed identity of the people living in the city.

The parade reflects exactly that. There are no motorized vehicles and no massive corporate floats. Everything is made by hand, driven by human energy, and completely raw.

For street photography, this creates endless opportunities. You do not just have people in fantastic, surreal costumes. You also have the crowd’s reactions, the interaction between the performers and the audience, and the beautiful architecture of Brussels serving as a backdrop. It is loud and crowded, and it forces you to think on your feet.

My approach to photographing the event

When I go out to photograph an event like this, I try not to treat it like standard event photography. I do not want to just document that the parade happened. I want to capture the feeling of being there on the street level.

I usually pack light. Taking too much gear into a dense crowd is a recipe for frustration. A single camera body, like my Nikon Z7II, and a prime lens (28mm) are usually all I need. This allows me to move freely, get close to the action, and disappear back into the crowd.

Instead of asking people to pose, I look for candid moments. I try to find a frame within a frame, perhaps by shooting through a spectator’s arms or using a part of a costume to isolate a specific face. The light in Brussels can be unpredictable, but finding those pockets of harsh sunlight or interesting shadows between the tall buildings is what makes the final images stand out.

This is my ongoing collection of Zinneke parade street photos. I will keep updating this section with new moments and faces as the years go by.

Zinneke parade 2026

The energy this year was incredible, but my approach was very different from normal. That day, I was attending a workshop with Julia Coddington, hosted by the Brussels Street Photography Festival. Julia is known for her brilliant, complex compositions, and she had me focus specifically on a layering technique.

Instead of just looking for a single subject, I had to pay attention to the foreground, middle ground, and background simultaneously, trying to align the different elements of the parade into a single cohesive frame. It forced me out of my comfort zone and made me try new things. I spent a lot of time experimenting with my positioning and waiting for the right pieces to fall into place.

Because I was focusing so heavily on this new technique, I did not achieve my usual quality or the style of images I would normally produce during an event like this. It was a day of trial and error. However, the experience of pushing my boundaries during such a chaotic parade was incredibly valuable, and it changed the way I look at crowded scenes.

Street photography at the Zinneke parade in Brussels, capturing a close interaction between a spectator in a leopard print top and performers adorned with blue face paint and bright pink tulle.
A busy street scene at the Zinneke parade in Brussels, framed by the hanging legs of spectators sitting above, as a performer walks past a float made of woven branches.
A woman wipes the glass of a toy shop window while holding her phone, with reflections of the Brussels street scene visible in the glass during the Zinneke parade.
A photographer uses a large telephoto lens on a monopod to capture the action among a dense crowd of spectators at the Zinneke parade in Brussels.
Layered street photography at the Zinneke parade in Brussels, showing a person in sunglasses walking by, framed through a foreground of hanging white paper strips.
Performers operate a large white puppet with blue ears and a blue horn, surrounded by giant yellow foam hands, with the stunning architecture of the Grand Place in Brussels in the background.
A man in a black t-shirt paints on a piece of cardboard on the street, with the historic Brussels Bourse building and a stone lion statue in the background during the Zinneke parade.
A layered street photograph utilizing window reflections in Brussels, blending mannequins in western wear with the reflection of the Zinneke parade crowd on the street outside.
A smiling performer in a fur coat crouches to pick up pillows on a feather-strewn street in front of the Bourse during the Brussels Zinneke parade, surrounded by other participants.
A line of performers in painted jumpsuits and costumes stand together with linked arms on a street covered in feathers during the Zinneke parade in Brussels.
A performer wearing small white wings lies on a feather-covered cobblestone street, dramatically silhouetted against the bright sun and historic Brussels architecture during the Zinneke parade.
A performer in a textured coat bends forward as hundreds of feathers float through the air, beautifully backlit by the bright sun during the Brussels Zinneke parade.
A performer in a red jumpsuit and helmet lies on the ground under a metal stepladder during the Zinneke parade in Brussels, with a crowd of spectators walking by in the background
Several performers in colorful costumes lie completely still on a cobblestone street covered in feathers, watched closely by a crowd during the Zinneke parade in Brussels.
Street photography at the Zinneke parade in Brussels, featuring a performer in a blue jumpsuit and a dinosaur mask interacting with two women on a sunny city square.
Vibrant street photo of performers engaging in a chaotic pillow fight on a feather covered street during the Zinneke parade in Brussels, surrounded by spectators.
Black and white street photography capturing an energetic pillow fight with feathers flying through the air between two performers at the Zinneke parade in Brussels.
Silhouetted performers throwing pillows and feathers into the air during a dramatic street performance at the Zinneke parade in Brussels, captured in high contrast black and white.
A close-up of the back of a performer's beige jumpsuit decorated with hand-drawn art and French text, with other performers and the historic Brussels Bourse building in the background.
A performer wearing a blue jumpsuit and a long fake carrot nose laughs joyfully in the foreground, with other performers climbing a metal structure behind them at the Zinneke parade.
A layered street photography composition featuring a person's outstretched arm in the foreground, framing a sunny Brussels street scene with walking pedestrians in the background.
A low-angle street photograph framed between the legs of a person wearing red socks, looking toward a line of costumed performers standing in front of the Bourse building in Brussels.
A wide black and white street photograph showing multiple performers having a pillow fight, with feathers filling the air and covering the cobblestones at the Zinneke parade.
An over the shoulder shot of a cameraman filming a group of performers lying on a feather covered street at the Zinneke parade in Brussels.
Two performers in bright blue jumpsuits climbing and holding onto a large geometric metal frame structure in a sunny Brussels square during the Zinneke parade

Tips for photographing street events in Brussels

If you want to bring your camera to the next Zinneke parade or any similar street festival in Brussels, here are a few things that have helped me.

  • Arrive before the parade starts. The preparation phase is often where you find the best street photos. Performers are getting into character, adjusting their costumes, and interacting with each other in a much more relaxed way.
  • Embrace the crowd. Do not get frustrated by people stepping into your frame. Use them to your advantage. A shoulder or the back of a head in the foreground can add a lot of depth and context to your shot.
  • Keep your eyes on the sidelines. The parade is the main subject, but the spectators are just as interesting. Look for kids sitting on shoulders, older people watching from their balconies, and the crowd’s genuine reactions.
  • Move around. Do not just pick one spot and stay there. Walk with the parade for a bit, then cut through a side street to get ahead of it again. Changing your location changes your background and your perspective.

Final thoughts

The Zinneke parade is a perfect reminder of why I love doing street photography in Brussels. It is unpredictable, full of character, and visually stunning.

I will be adding more photos to this page in the future, so feel free to bookmark it and check back the next time the city takes to the streets. If you were at the parade or have your own favorite spots to shoot in Brussels, I would love to hear about it.

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