All volunteer fairs in Belgium: the overview for 2026 and 2027

A volunteer fair is the shortest path between someone who wants to help and an organization looking for hands. One afternoon, dozens of stands, and people you would otherwise never have reached.

And the autumn of 2026 is going to be exceptionally busy. Below we list all the confirmed fairs in Belgium. From September 2026 to July 2027. Whether you are looking for a stand or just want to go and take a look, you will discover exactly where and when here. Are you an organization? Make sure your vacancies are online before you head to a fair, because that is what people look for after their visit.

Are you organizing a fair yourself that is not listed here? Let us know via liam@giveaday.eu, and we will add it.

The (tentatively) confirmed dates

Ten fairs with a confirmed date. Spread across Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia.

What you can expect per fair

Antwerp, September 20, 2026. Vrijwilligerspunt Antwerpen organizes the Volunteer Market "Ontdek en doe!" during Car-Free Antwerp, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in and around the Zuiderpershuis. Participation is free for organizations. You can choose between an indoor stand in the Zuiderpershuis or an outdoor stand with a party tent on the Waalsekaai. Setting up is possible from 11 a.m. Between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. there is a networking moment for the participating organizations.

Please note accessibility: the location is within the low-emission zone and the car-free zone. You cannot get there by car between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. All info and registration via https://www.antwerpen.be/info/6a17157dae0fb692f26420e6/schrijf-je-organisatie-in-voor-de-vrijwilligersmarkt-ontdek-en-doe.

Leuven, September 26, 2026. The Volunteer Fair runs continuously between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. in Hal 5 in Kessel-Lo. You will get to know around 45 Leuven organizations looking for volunteers. From culture, leisure and youth work to care, sustainability and solidarity. More info via https://leuven.be/vrijwilligerswerkbeurs.

Sint-Niklaas, October 14, 2026. Already the fifth edition of the Waasland Health and Welfare Volunteer Fair. An evening fair from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in 't Bau-Huis. A regional fair for the entire Waasland, organized by Eerstelijnszone Waasland. Whether you have a few hours a week to spare or are looking for a long-term commitment, the range is wide. More info via https://www.ontdeksintniklaas.be/nl/agenda/alle-resultaten/vrijwilligersbeurs-gezondheid-en-welzijn-waasland-0.

Brussels, November 12, 2026. Steunpunt Vrijwilligerswerk Brussel is holding its Volunteer Market in Muntpunt, continuously from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. You will get to know Dutch-speaking organizations in Brussels that are looking for volunteers. The focus is on accessible volunteering, including for newcomers and non-native speakers learning Dutch. Admission is free and registration is not required, just drop by. More info via https://www.steunpuntvrijwilligerswerk.be/kalender/vrijwilligersmarkt.

Namur, November 21, 2026. The second edition of the Village du Volontariat, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at La Bourse on place d'Armes. Around twenty Namur associations will present their work through meetings, testimonials, and exchange. Free and open to everyone. A collaboration between the Ville de Namur and the Plateforme francophone du Volontariat. More info via https://www.levolontariat.be/events/29-novembre-village-du-volontariat-namur.

Kortrijk, November 29, 2026. The very first Volunteer Fair of Kortrijk, titled "Ik ben vrij gewild, en gie?", in Depart.

The 70 free stand spaces are now fully booked. Very impressive for a first edition. Do you still want to participate as an organization? You can sign up for the waiting list via https://www.kortrijk.be/schrijf-je-in-voor-de-vrijwilligersbeurs. If an organization drops out, they will contact you.

Brussels, December 3, 2026. The Marché du Bénévolat en Action Sociale. From 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at GC Pianofabriek in Saint-Gilles, close to the Halle Gate and the South Station. The Plateforme francophone du Volontariat is organizing this fair on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the VolontariAS network, focusing on the social sector. Admission is open and free for anyone interested in volunteering. Brussels-based social action organizations can participate for free, but registration is mandatory and the number of stands is limited. More info via https://www.levolontariat.be/volontarias-agenda.

Bruges, March 6, 2027. Team Vrijwilligerscentrale of the City of Bruges organizes its volunteer fair as an annual tradition during Volunteer Week. In the Jan Garemijnzaal of the Stadshallen, under the iconic Belfry, you can have an introductory chat with one of the forty volunteer organizations from the area between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Everyone is welcome. Registrations for organizations are not yet open, so keep an eye on brugge.be.

Lubbeek, March 7, 2027. The local administration of Lubbeek is organizing a volunteer fair for the first time. It will take place in the Libbeke hall, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. The aim is to introduce residents to the many ways they can volunteer in the municipality and the region.

Organizations, associations and non-profits working with volunteers are welcome to present their work and meet new volunteers. You will be allocated a space to present your volunteer operations. Registrations are already open, via https://www.lubbeek.be/eloket/formulier/223/vrijwilligersbeurs.

Hasselt, April 18, 2027. The Hasselt volunteer fair is biennial and this will be the third edition. It takes place in the Centrale Werkplaatsen. In the intervening years, Hasselt organizes a networking event instead of a full fair. The city announced the date via https://www.hasselt.be/nl/vrijwilligersbeurs-30-november-2025.

Conferences and networking events

In addition to the fairs, there are events aimed at professionals: coordinators, policymakers and organizations.

Connect & Act, the National Volunteering Conference, on Tuesday, March 16, 2027. Save the date now. Connect & Act is the largest knowledge and networking event on volunteering in Belgium. Organized by Give a Day, Hitch and ToolBox, and co-sponsored by BNP Paribas Fortis. The conference grew from 450 participants in 2024 to over 600 in 2026. For 2027 we are two weeks earlier in the year, so align your spring planning accordingly. Program and registrations will follow via connectandact.be.

National Conference on Volunteering, November 30, 2026 in Brussels. The three communities in Belgium and the High Council for Volunteering invite you to Amazone in Brussels. The International Year of Volunteers is the moment to look ahead. That is exactly what this day does: exchange, new insights and concrete steps to secure the future of volunteering. Not a matchmaking fair, but a policy moment. More info via the calendar on UiTinVlaanderen.

Vis ma vie de bénévole, November 9 to 22, 2026. A large discovery campaign by the Plateforme francophone du Volontariat, lasting two weeks throughout the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles. Participating associations open their doors so that citizens can experience volunteering in practice. Through an immersion of a few hours, a one-off activity or simply a chat. The goal is to let people feel what commitment means and thus attract new volunteers. Associations and interested parties can block the dates now, with guidance and more info following in the coming months via levolontariat.be.

Fairs that do not have a date yet

These cities usually organize a fair annually or biennially, but have not yet announced anything for 2027. Be sure to keep a close eye on their channels.

Ghent. An annual city fair. In 2025 on April 27 in the UFO building, with about 70 organizations and 900 visitors. A new edition in the spring of 2027 is likely, with an announcement via stad.gent.

Mechelen. Annual fair of the Volunteer Point. In 2025, it became an XL edition, the Volunteer Festival on May 9 and 10, because Mechelen was the European Volunteering Capital. No date has been published yet for 2026 and 2027.

Sint-Truiden and Nieuwerkerken. The very first edition of the "Sympathiek" fair took place on April 16, 2026, with about 450 visitors and 45 exhibitors. The organizers announced they would repeat it every other year or every two years.

Nivelles. The Salon du Volontariat is biennial. The tenth edition was on October 9, 2025, so the next one is likely to take place in the autumn of 2027.

The province of Liège also deserves a footnote: the Salon du Volontariat held its seventeenth edition on March 13 and 14, 2026, but will now be biennial. The next edition will therefore take place in 2028. In the intervening years, the province organizes a Quinzaine du Volontariat dedicated to associations.

Volunteer Week 2027: from February 27 to March 7

That week has already been confirmed, and the last weekend is immediately doubly packed: Bruges on Saturday, March 6 and Lubbeek on Sunday, March 7. Around Volunteer Week, multiple local fairs usually cluster, including the one in Ghent. Other cities announce their dates four to eight weeks in advance, so expect those announcements from December 2026 and January 2027.

Why there are so many fairs this year

That is no coincidence. With resolution A/RES/78/127, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the year 2026 as the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development. That year officially kicked off on International Volunteer Day, December 5, 2025.

The result is visible in this calendar: an unusually high number of first editions. Kortrijk is organizing its very first fair, and Sint-Truiden and Nieuwerkerken did so earlier this year. Cities and municipalities are seizing the momentum to put volunteering on the local map.

What you should do now

Are you an organization or association? See which fair fits your region and apply for a stand. The large fairs work with a registration deadline, often weeks to months in advance. And make sure your vacancies are online before you go: a conversation at a fair almost always ends with "where can I find that?".

Are you a local government? The fairs in autumn coincide with the national recruitment campaign around the International Year of Volunteers. This is an opportunity to align your local communication and your fair instead of running them separately.

Do you want to volunteer yourself? Go take a look. A fair is the easiest way to meet dozens of organizations in a single afternoon without making any commitments. If you prefer to find something from home right away, you can search on our platform by interest and location.

Are you organizing a fair that is not listed here yet?

Are you organizing a volunteer fair, a volunteer market or a networking event that is not on this list? Or do you know of one? Send us the date, location and a link to liam@giveaday.eu and we will add it. This way, this overview becomes complete for everyone looking.

This also applies to the cities above that do not have a date yet. As soon as you set it, let us know, and your fair will immediately move to the confirmed list.

Times and locations may still change. Verify shortly before the event via the official source of the organizer.

Last updated: August 2026.