The main event of the Myanmar Pre-Thingyan series was held on 2 March in Brussels, bringing together EU representatives, academics, artists and members of the Burmese diaspora across Europe for an evening of solidarity, culture and dialogue.
Organised as part of the European Union’s Myanmar Pre-Thingyan, Food & Culture Week at the Wolf Sharing Food Market, the event marked five years since the military coup in Myanmar.
Amid ongoing political, economic and humanitarian crises, the evening reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to stand by the people of Myanmar and support their resilience and aspirations for a better future.
Among the distinguished EU representatives attending were Peteris Ustubs, Director for Asia, Central Asia and the Pacific at the Directorate-General for International Partnerships of the European Commission; and Erik Kurzweil, Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific at the European External Action Service.
The evening Tea Talk discussion on “What’s happening in Myanmar: Challenges and Opportunities ahead” was moderated by podcaster Nyein Chan May, and featured Ambassador Marc Fiedrich, Head of Delegation of the European Union to Myanmar; Vicky Bowman, Senior Adviser at the Institute for Human Rights and Business and former Director of Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business; and Thinzar Shunlei Yi, Programme Director of Sisters2Sisters.
The evening, which opened at 18:00, created a space to connect through stories, artistic performances, dialogue and Myanmar cuisine. Participants reflected on the challenges facing the country while paying tribute to the resilience of its people.
The main event formed part of a week-long programme from 27 February to 4 March celebrating the spirit of Thingyan, Myanmar’s traditional New Year festival in April — a time symbolising renewal, hope and the washing away of past hardships. Through tea talks, performances, film screenings, cooking shows and the sharing of Burmese tea, snacks and local dishes, the European Union brought the essence of Thingyan preparations to Brussels, highlighting Myanmar’s rich tea shop culture and the enduring strength of its communities.
Well-known Myanmar chef Yin Mon curated the evening’s reception, inspired by Myanmar’s regional diversity and featuring products sourced from Myanmar, including from farmers and producers supported through European Union-funded projects in the country.
Highlighting Myanmar’s tea shop culture, Tea Talk-style discussions will be held on 3 March 2026. Vicky Bowman will speak on “Doing business in Myanmar: Can it be responsible?”, while Soe Myint, Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of Mizzima Media and Soe Win Than, Editor, BBC Burmese, will address “Narratives and the role of the media in Myanmar”.
Tea and traditional Myanmar snacks will be prepared by Chef Wai Wai, who is also running the Myanmar pop-up restaurant open daily from 12:00 to 22:00 between 27 February and 4 March as part of the celebrations.
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