Brussels turns smurfy for world premiere
Brussels has shown itself at its smurfiest for the world premiere of the new Smurfs movie on 28 June.
The world’s favourite blue creatures assembled at the Grand’Place on the eve of the premiere for an official ceremony with the Mayor of Brussels and the director of the film. On Saturday the city’s most photographed peeing boy (Manneken Pis) donned the clothes of No Name Smurf, one of the key characters in the new film.
No Name Smurf is portrayed by James Corden, who of course showed up in Brussels for the premiere, as did pop sensation Rihanna.
Oh, and did we mention that the city hall and tunnels were all lit in blue? A smurfing pleasure for young and old!
They may live in Smurfland, but trust us, they are well and truly Belgian. Their father, if you will, was Pierre Culliford, alias Peyo, a Brussels-born comics writer and artist. Word has it that he was dining with a friend and close collaborator and couldn’t remember the word for salt so he said schtroumpf instead (Les Schtroumpfs being what they are known as in French) and they spent the rest of the weekend communicating in schtroumpf language.