4 best low-key summer music festivals

Just a few weeks away begins the long summer line up of music and dance festivals that fill weekends and cause many a Monday morning call-in to work.

If this is your thing, you’ve probably already booked your tickets to Rock Werchter, Tomorrowland or Pukkelpop and picked out your dancing shoes. But these big-name festivals aren’t for everyone. Some people prefer something more laidback than the wild, manic thrashing and long nights of the giant festivals.

Luckily, Belgium has some 120 music-focused festivals in the summer alone. This means there’s a size, style and feel for everyone – from electro to hard metal to folk rock. For a full list of all the festivals in Belgium, big and small, visit Festbook, Belgium’s official festival guide.

If you’re looking for looking for a more relaxed way to take in some live music, local beer and good weather, here are the four best low-key music festivals the summer has to offer.

1. Esperanzah!

Esperanzah! is Belgium’s music festival with a heart of gold. Not only does it bring some of the world’s most inventive sounds to two stages in the former abbey of tiny village of Floreffe, but it also has an eye on creating social justice and change.

On the music end, Esperanzah! is known for its eclectic programme, welcoming over 20 acts from all genres, styles and corners of the world who lend an authentic voice to expressing their own cultural and political roots and realities. One stage is dedicated to artists bring the rhythms and sounds of their own traditions. The second stage holds more contemporary acts, but always with the aim of bringing world music and messages to Belgian ears. This year the line up includes Melanie Gardot, Alpha Blondy, The John Bulter Trio and Lisa Simone (pictured), daughter of Nina Simone.

But Esperanzah! (whose name means “hope”) is more than just music. Every year, it choses a socially conscious theme – in the past it has been the right to food, climate justice or water protection – and brings in everyone from NGOs to artists to show festival-goers what concrete actions they can take to create real change. This year, the festival partnered with Belgian NGO 11.11.11 to make the theme of “Tout autre choses mais pas n’importe quoi” (“Anything else, but not just anything else”), which will explore alternatives ways to meet one’s needs living in a global city. You’ll have the chace to learn all kinds of skills from organic cooking to clothing and furniture repair to installing and using free, ad-free computer software.

The festival itself tries to be as environmentally and socially responsible as possible. It uses reusable cups and composting toilets throughout the festival and campsites, encourages attendees to carpool or use public transportation and creates the “Village of the Possible”, where various non-profit organisations run stands and activities that promotes global respect, tolerance and equality.

When: 31 July and 1 & 2 August
Where: Floreffe Abbey, Namur province

2. Couleur Café

Despite being located in the centre of Brussels, the three-day festival Couleur Café manages to have a village feel inside its urban setting, complete with small streets and town squares. Genre-wise, the music is all over the place, from funk to soul to rock to hip-hop to blues. The thing all acts share is their high-energy that makes an impact. This year the programme boasts Wu-Tang Clan, Flavia Coelho and Wyclef Jean, along with dozens of other names, big and small.

Beyond the music, you can also enjoy village life by taking music and dance classes, see art exhibitions, taking your kids to the children’s workshops and camping in Camp Zen.

When: 3 – 5 July
Where: Tour & Taxis, Brussels

3. Cactus Festival

Since 1982, the Cactus Festival has been putting on three days of non-stop music at this easy-going, family-friendly festival in Bruges. Located in the shaded Minnewaterpark, along the “Love Lake”, Cactus is a no-fuss kind of festival. It’s lively, but never too crowded. When you get tired of standing around, it’s easy to find a place to laid out a blanket. And there is only one stage, so there’s no need to make a schedule or miss any of the acts.

The music is largely rock-focused with a healthy dose of reggae, R&B and other genres mixed in, and has a good blend of local, Belgian groups and international bands, largely from the US and the UK. Highlights this year include Belgian band dEUS, Britain’s The Kooks and Gabriel Rios.

When: 10 – 12 July
Where: Minnewaterpark, Bruges

4. Brosella

If you like the sound of Cactus Festival, then you’ll love Brosella: similar vibe but even more relaxed and free. Well, almost free. The City of Brussels pays for the festival and its organisers are committed to keeping the festivities free. However, if you choose to, you can purchase an entry bracelet for €5 to support the event. Having a bracelet means you get €1 off any drink purchase, so in the end, you’re likely to earn your €5 back.

Brosella’s line-up hones in on folk and jazz, devoting one day to each genre (Saturday is folk, Sunday is jazz). While it rarely brings in huge names, it’s a great place to discover new artists. And, for being within easy reach of Brussels’ public transportation, the festival’s location in a large amphitheatre hidden in the forested park surrounding the Atomium lends to it a great vacation feel.

When: 11 & 12 July
Where: Groenetheater, Brussels

Photo credit Frank Loriou/Agence Vu