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Music · Rotselaar
Rock Werchter brings together rock, pop, indie and electronic music over four days at Festivalpark in Werchter, in the municipality of Rotselaar, near Leuven, at the start of summer.
In the photo: Rotselaar
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.
Rock Werchter — Rotselaar
For four days, from Thursday to Sunday, on the weekend that closes June or opens July.
June/July
Dates change every year: check this year's date before you travel.
The festival
Rock Werchter began in 1975 as a one-day rock and blues festival in a tent in Werchter, a locality of the municipality of Rotselaar, a few kilometres from Leuven. Over time it grew to become one of Europe’s largest music festivals, running four days since 2003.
The festival takes place at Festivalpark, a site of about 24 hectares along the Haachtsesteenweg, renovated and completed in 2018. Stages include the main stage, the KluB C tent, The Barn and The Slope, dedicated to emerging artists.
The lineup mixes major international names from rock, pop, indie, hip-hop and electronic music with Belgian bands. Many attendees stay in the official campsite next to the grounds and spend all four days there.
The festival is traditionally held on the weekend around the turn from June to July, and the small town of Werchter lives those days in a festive atmosphere before returning to its rural routine.
The main stage concerts at dusk. Performances by new artists on The Slope stage. The atmosphere of the official campsite.
Tickets often include public transport within Belgium and special buses from Leuven and Aarschot stations; confirm each edition. Bring a rain poncho and sunscreen, because the weather in early July varies. Those not camping will find more accommodation options in Leuven.
Four-day passes with camping usually sell out soon after sales open on the official website. Book accommodation in Leuven or Brussels in advance.
In the city
June/July
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.
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.
June/JulyOver two nights between late June and early July.
On two early-summer nights, the Ommegang brings hundreds of participants in 16th-century costumes from the Sablon to Brussels’ Grand-Place, recreating the celebration held for Emperor Charles V in 1549.
Your questions
It runs four consecutive days, Thursday to Sunday, around the turn from June to July.
At Festivalpark in Werchter, which belongs to Rotselaar, near Leuven and about 30 km from Brussels.
Since 1975, when it started as a one-day rock and blues festival in a tent in Werchter.
Festivals and events in Belgium
JulyIn July, usually in the second half of the month, over several days depending on each edition's format.
The Francofolies de Spa take over the center of the spa town in July, with francophone music concerts on outdoor stages in the Parc de Sept Heures and in venues such as the Casino.
JulyFor ten days in July, including Belgium’s national holiday on July 21.
For ten days in July, the Gentse Feesten spread concerts, street theatre, puppetry and bars across the squares and quays of Ghent’s historic centre.
JulyOn the last two weekends of July.
An electronic music festival held across two weekends in July at De Schorre park in Boom, between Antwerp and Brussels, known for its theatrical stages and international audience.
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.