Put your hands in the air: Belgium's pop/rock festivals

Rock Werchter may be sold out but there are plenty of other Belgian pop/rock festivals worth checking out this summer. Here’s our pick of some of the best.

Fête de la Musique - June 21-23

Kicking off the summer festival season is the 29th edition of the Brussels and Wallonia musical bonanza, with hundreds of concerts in over 50 towns and cities across the two regions. Many will be played in outdoor places such as the Cinquantenaire park and the Royal Park bandstand, and the Brussels line-up features Montevideo, La Grande Sophie, Castus and the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. While the best thing about the event is that it’s entirely free, the second is that every musical genre is represented.

Sjock Festival -  July 5-7

To fans of greasy rock’n’roll (rockabilly, garage and psychobilly), Gierle’s Sjock festival is like Christmas and New Year rolled into one – only in the summer. This year’s opening psycho salvo (Friday) sees veterans Long Tall Texans and The Caravans show how it’s done. Over the next two days, there will be performances from The Jim Jones Revues, Jack Rabbit Slim, Los Straitjackets, Black Lips and the never-dull Dinosaur Jr.

Day tickets €15 (Friday) and €22 (Saturday or Sunday). €55 for all three. 

Les Ardentes - July 11-14

Liège is known as the Ardent City and its four-day festival, held in the central Parc Astrid, is particularly diverse this year. Big names include Kaiser Chiefs, Nas, The Raveonettes and Mika – how’s that for an eclectic line-up? Other artists of note include Arno, Hanni El Khatib and The Maccabees.

Day tickets are €45; a four-day pass is €105. 

Rock Zottegem - July 12 & 13

While not necessarily the prettiest town in Flanders, Zottegem is home to a well-organised festival with a legion of loyal fans. On the bill this year: Bush, Golden Earring (Friday), ZZ Top, Suicidal Tendencies (Saturday) and many Belgian acts (Hooverphonic, Absynthe Minded…).

Day tickets cost €39; two-day tickets are €70. 

Cactus - JULY 12-14

“Hear – See – Feel The World,” goes the motto of this Bruges festival. Over three days you will get to see and hear the likes Calexico, Thurston Moore & Chelsea Light Moving, Ghostpoet, dEUS, The Raveonettes and Bonnie Raitt.

One day-tickets cost €40, two-day tickets €69 and three-day tickets €90. 

Dour - July 18-21

According to the influential Lastfm.fr, Dour is “the best place to discover new artists”. A quick glance at the 2013 line-up supports this view, but it should be added that some of this year’s star draws are no spring chickens: Smashing Pumpkins, Wu-Tang Clan, Lee Scratch Perry, U-Roy and Biohazard don’t need discovering. Most exciting of all is the return of soul powerhouse Charles Bradley. Millions of bands to choose from – not literally, but you get the picture.

Day tickets €50, four-day ticket €105. 

Suikerrock - July 25-28

While heavy riffs dominated proceedings in Sugartown (that’s Tienen, Flemish Brabant) last year, this year’s edition is more varied. Big names include Sting, Joe Cocker, Kaiser Chiefs, Katie Melua as well as legendary Benelux acts Golden Earring and The Scabs. The opening day, headlined by gothic metal darlings Within Temptation, is the least appealing.

Only day tickets left, between €30 and €50. 

Lokerse Feesten - August 2-11

Let us risk a bold statement: the 10-day Lokerse Feesten is the most pleasant outdoor festival in this land. Easy access, very reasonable pricing, the relative absence of queues and the choice of food stalls inside and outside the grounds offer the advantage of an open-air festival without (most of) the inconvenience. On the bill this year: The B-52’s, Damien Rice, Beady Eye, Primal Scream, Motörhead, Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Lion, Deep Purple and Iggy & The Stooges.

Day tickets €25-€40; combi tickets €130. 

Brussels Summer Festival - August 9-18

Held in the capital’s museum district (Place des Palais, Mont des Arts, Place du Musée), the Brussels Summer Festival is cheap and cheerful. On the bill, more than 50 local and international artists: Madness, The Dandy Warhols, Amy MacDonald, Lee Thompson’s Ska Orchestra, Channel Zero... Day tickets €25 (August 9 to 12) or €15 (August 13 to 18). A 10-day pass is just €40. 

Pukkelpop - August 15-17

The 28th edition of this most high-profile festival features its fair share of ‘long-awaited returns’. Thursday is headlined by Eminem and Nine Inch Nails, Friday by The Prodigy and Saturday by Franz Ferdinand and The XX. Day tickets for the Thursday are sold out, though, as are combi tickets.

Day tickets for Thursday and Friday are €83; a three-day pass is €155. 

All ticket prices quoted above are presale, do not include camping, and may be subject to booking fees. Remember to always buy your tickets from legit sources. If in doubt, always contact the organiser via the festival’s official website.