The famous statue of the Manneken Pis (Little peeing boy) on the junction between Rue de l’Etuve and Rue du Chêne in Brussels will be weeing Maltese beer while wearing the costume of a Knight of Malta for a few days in June.

Cisk Lager will be sponsoring the beer, which will flow from the bronze fountain to distribute for free to passers-by. This is not the first time that the Manneken Pis will wee beer. On some occasions, beer is made to flow from the bronze fountain and given free to passers-by who hold up their glasses to fill.

The Manneken Pis, as it is well known all over the world, will get his Maltese costume thanks to a collaboration among the Malta Tourism Authority, Air Malta and Delicata Wines. The event was organised by the Maltese embassy in Brussels and the permanent Maltese representation there.

On 19 June a costume presentation ceremony will unfold. The costume will be presented to the City of Brussels while the actual dressing of the statue, which is not even one metre high, will follow in a colourful celebration.

The Manneken Pis fountain attracts multitudes of visitors to Brussels each year, but has also disappointed many because of his minuscule height. Its wardrobe, which is managed by the NGO Friends of the Manneken Pis, comprises over 700 costumes ranging from national costumes, uniforms, slogan t-shirts and what not. The NGO reviews hundreds of costume designs each year to keep the costume programme innovative. The costumes were given to the City of Brussels to mark special occasions or for marketing initiatives. The different costumes are permanently exhibited in the city museum situated a few hundred metres away from the statue in the picturesque Grand Place.

There are various legends that justify how the statue found itself in Brussels. A famous one dictates that a boy saved the city from destruction by urinating on a fire. The statue has also been stolen many times over the years.