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Music · Hasselt
Pukkelpop brings together rock, alternative, electronic and hip‑hop across several stages set on fields and woodlands in Kiewit, north of Hasselt, in August.
In the photo: Hasselt
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Click a photo to enlarge it.
Pukkelpop — Hasselt
In mid or late August, over four days from Thursday to Sunday.
August
Dates change every year: check this year's date before you travel.
The festival
Pukkelpop was founded in 1985 by a group of young people from Leopoldsburg connected to the youth center De Pukkel, which gave the festival its name. The first edition had a single stage on a football field. In 1991 the festival moved to Kiewit, a locality of the Hasselt municipality, where it settled.
The site, between fields and woodlands along the Kempische Steenweg, hosts multiple stages with very varied programming: rock, indie, metal, punk, electronic, hip‑hop and pop, with space for Belgian and emerging artists alongside international names. The festival runs for four days, with an opening night and three full days.
Next to the venue are the camping areas, and many attendees spend all four days there. The ticket usually includes public transport within Belgium to Hasselt or Kiewit, and shuttle buses run between Hasselt station and the site.
For those looking for summer festivals in Europe, Pukkelpop combines eclectic programming with the life of a Limburg town just a few kilometers away.
Main‑stage concerts at the end of the day. The smaller stages, where Belgian artists and new names appear. The opening night.
Take the train to Hasselt or Kiewit and then a bus to the site. Bring a raincoat and sturdy footwear, because August weather can vary. If you’re not camping, staying in Hasselt makes daily trips easier.
Multi‑day and camping tickets sell out early; buy as soon as sales open on the official website. Accommodation in Hasselt also fills up fast during festival week.
In the city
Flavors of Belgium
August
AugustOn the weekend of the fourth Sunday in August, from Friday to Monday.
On the weekend of the fourth Sunday in August, Ath celebrates its ducasse with the wedding of the giant Goliath, David’s fight against Goliath on the Grand-Place, and the procession of the giants through the streets.
AugustAround August 15, the Assumption feast; the main day is August 15 and the closing is August 16.
Around August 15, the Outremeuse neighborhood in Liège celebrates the Assumption with a procession of the Black Virgin, a Mass in Walloon, a giants’ parade, concerts and lots of péket, culminating in the symbolic burial of Matî l'Ohê.
AugustEvery two years, in even-numbered years, for about four days over the long weekend around August 15. · Every two years
Every two years, in mid‑August, the ground of Brussels’ Grand-Place is covered with a carpet of begonias and dahlias featuring a different design each edition, which remains in place for about four days.
Your questions
In mid or late August, over four days from Thursday to Sunday.
In Kiewit, a locality of the Hasselt municipality, in the province of Limburg, about 7 km north of Hasselt city center.
Festivals and events in Belgium
February/MarchFrom Carnival Sunday to Shrove Tuesday, the three days before Ash Wednesday, in February or March depending on the date of Easter.
The Binche carnival, in the province of Hainaut, culminates on Shrove Tuesday with the Gilles, figures wearing wax masks and ostrich-feather hats who dance through the streets to the sound of drums and throw oranges to the crowd.
February/MarchFrom Saturday to midnight on Fat Tuesday, before the start of Lent, in February or March, depending on the date of Easter.
The Cwarmê is Malmedy’s carnival, in the Ardennes: four days when masked figures such as the Haguètes take to the streets, everything is spoken and sung in Walloon, up to the burning of the Haguète on the final night.
March/AprilOn Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent, three weeks before Easter, in March or early April; from Saturday to Monday.
Three weeks before Easter, Stavelot celebrates Laetare with the Blancs Moussis, figures dressed in white with long red-nosed masks who go through the town throwing confetti at the crowd.
May/JuneOn the weekend of the Holy Trinity, the Sunday after Pentecost, between May and June, depending on the date of Easter.
On Trinity weekend, Mons carries the relic of Saint Waltrude on a gilded carriage through the streets and stages the Lumeçon, Saint George’s fight with the dragon, on the Grand-Place.
MayEvery three years, on the second Sunday in May. · Every three years
Every three years, on the second Sunday in May, Ypres celebrates cats with the Kattenstoet, a parade of floats, giants and costumes that culminates with the town jester throwing stuffed cats from the Lakenhalle bell tower.
May/JuneOn Ascension Day, a Thursday forty days after Easter, in May or early June.
On Ascension Day, the relic of the Holy Blood is carried out of the basilica on Burg Square and processes through Bruges’ medieval centre in a parade with biblical scenes, singing, music and horses, an intangible UNESCO heritage event.
