The festival heart of a circus festival? "The bar!" say brothers Vincent, Simon, and Cédric of the circus company Collectif Malunés. At MAD Festival, these creative brothers invite you to taste their home-brewed beer: BRUUR, la bière des frères.

"Call it a hobby that got out of hand," laughs Vincent, the youngest of the four Bruyninckx brothers. In 2009, he, along with his brother Simon, founded the circus company Collectif Malunés (seen last year at MAD with We agree to disagree).

Ten years later, they enlisted their oldest brother, Cédric, for a new project: brewing their own beer - BRUUR, an IPA with citrus notes. This year, they are once again running the bar at MAD Festival, where you can taste the same beer (and their own distilled gin).

A bar that breathes circus 

"We are on tour ourselves for 70% of the year," explains Vincent. "We see how the bar often becomes the heart of the festival. Spectators, artists, young and old meet there. We want to give this central spot some identity." In this case, the central spot is a temporarily unused circus tent, transformed into a cozy bar by the brothers.

The bar concept is a way for the brothers to continue their successful BRUUR story. "In 2019, we started brewing beer," Vincent explains. "Shortly after, we distilled our own gin. The reactions were extremely positive, so we increased our production. But we want to avoid large commercial supermarket chains and stay as close as possible to the cultural sector. Think of local cinemas, cultural centers, grandma's sewing club, small festivals, ... With success: in 2022, we managed to sell 80% in the cultural sector."

Where is the bar? 

Thirsty after this story? In the MAD Café, you can taste not only BRUUR beer but also organic lemonades, juices, hot drinks, wine, cocktails and some snacks. The bartent is in the heart of the festival hub, at Asiadok-Westkaai.