The 45th edition of the Lokerse Feesten will take place form August 2 till August 11, 2019 at the Grote Kaai in Lokeren, Belgium. 10 days filled with all kinds of music. It is a relatively small festival of about 15.000 people, that offers big bands. This goes for all days, not just the punk rock day or the metal day. It’s getting better and better with facilities as well. To make a long story short, it’s a nice, cheaper festival that takes place only in the evening. So less bands, but the price is fair. It is located close to the local train station, and since a couple of years they’ve also added a campsite with multiple sleeping options. What if you are local or are sleeping in a hotel in another city? Don’t worry, there’s even a night shuttle that takes you back save and sound to your bed.

Festival terrain

On the festival terrain you will find 2 areas: the Red Bull Music Room and the Main Stage. When you buy a ticket for the Main Stage, you can enter both areas. There’s also an option to buy a ticket only for the Red Bull Music Room at a cheaper price. You can either buy a ticket online or at the on-site register, provided there are still tickets available. Those will however cost 3 to 5 euros more. The first performance at the Main Stage usually starts at 19:00 or 20:00 o’clock. Depending on the starting time, the cash desks will be open at 18:00 or 18:30 o’clock. The first performances at the Red Bull Music Room will start at 21:00 and continue till 5:00 o’clock in the morning in the weekends. During the week the shows will end at 2:30 o’clock.

The price of the tickets will differ according to the type of ticket you choose. There are day-tickets, combi-tickets, VIP-tickets and Club-tickets available.

The day-tickets are, like the name says, the tickets you buy when you want to go for one specific day. Most tickets are about 40 euros. It depends on the bands playing that day. If you only want to go to the Red Bull Music Room it will cost you about 15 euros.

A combi-ticket will provide you acces to the festival for all 10 days and both stages for 170 euros.

The VIP-tickets give you access to an exclusive area including a sky deck of 3 meters high. As a VIP, you have a more varied choice of drinks, food and free snacks. It also includes free parking and a VIP shuttle service from the festival to your car.
Children under 12 years old don’t need a ticket to enter the festival if they are accompanied by an adult. They do need a ticket to enter the VIP area.

The club-tickets are like super VIP-tickets, with an even bigger choice in drinks and food and other services. If you want, you can even get a 5 course meal. There are also LED screens to watch the concerts while you are enjoying your drink.

With these special tickets, you can still enter the regular festival area if you want to do so.

The Lokerse feesten uses food and drink tickets. These are tickets that you can use for both food and drinks. You can pre-order a voucher of 10 of these for 26 euros and exchange it for the tickets BEFORE you enter the festival area at the cash desk. Inside they will not exchange them. You can always exit the festival area and come back to the entrance in case you forgot.
Then a little tip from myself: there are multiple food and drink stands outside of the festival area. These do NOT use the food/drink tickets. You can pay them in regular euros. Not that it’s more expensive or cheaper when you eat outside of the festival area, they just use a different paying method.

Campsite

The campsite is close to the festival terrain. Just a 5 minute walk and you’re there. It’s only the 4th year that they have a campsite. Thanks a lot for that. Out of my own experience I can say that it’s easy to find and very close to the festival terrain. Every necessary thing you need is there, such as drinking water, toilets and showers. Lokerse Feesten takes every opportunity to learn out of experiences and make every year better and better. In 2016, the first year when there was a campsite, it was 10 kilometers away. So yeah, 5 minutes is way, way better.

You can choose between different options if you want to stay at the campsite.
There’s E.T, or “eigen tent”, Dutch for “own tent”. You basically take your own tent and choose a place in the area you are allowed to. You can still use all the facilities, you just bring your own stuff. This is also the cheapest option. A camping ticket will cost you 12 euros.
Kapi Tip-up is another choice. It’s an ecological tent that comes with 2 mattresses. You just need to bring your own sleeping bag and pillow. For 2 people this will be 47 euros.
And last there’s MIMZ2 or ‘mag iets meer zijn voor 2’ or in English ‘can be a bit more for 2’. It’s a cabin with beds, mattresses, blankets, pillows and, last but not least, a night light. This will be 98 euros.

The campsite will be open from August 2 from 15:00 o’clock till August 12, 12:00 o’clock. You can check in from 15:00 o’clock on the day you’ve bought a ticket. On the 4th of August this is possible form 13:00 o’clock. Checking out is possible until 11:00 o’clock the next day.
If you want to stay on the campsite, you will have to buy your ticket in advance. Full means full, so it’s not advised to buy it when you arrive. You cannot park your car on the campsite, but below you can read where you can park close by. Also be aware that you can’t take BBQ’s, drugs, weapons, animals and speakers with you.

Transport

Lokerse feesten is really easy to reach. When you take the train, it’s just a 5 minute walk form the local train station to the venue. The festival itself doesn’t provide any specific cheaper train tickets, but the NMBS, the local train service, has special offers if you’re under 26. You can use the Go-Pass 1 or the Go Unlimited. If you’re over 26 you can use a weekend ticket that’s 50% off, that’s available from Friday till Sunday. If you’re going on another day you will have to buy a regular ticket.
If you decide to go back by train, the first trains will leave at about 5:00 AM on weekdays and at 6:00 or 7:00 AM on weekends.

If you want to go by car, you can park at the industrial zone E17/1. The city itself will be closed of to cars, so parking there is recommended. Unless you bought a VIP ticket, then there will be a parking reserved for you closer to the festival. At that industrial zone, there’s a special shuttle that will take you to the festival and back for 3 euros. Keep your ticket, because you won’t be able to prove you’ve already bought it if you lost it. Also, if you save the ticket after you went to the festival, you can get a free cheeseburger at McDonalds in Lokeren. These busses will pick you up one and a half hour before the first show and the latest at 2:30 AM.

Going back however, is another story. The local train services will not be able to take you back home after the shows have finished. What does get you back home, is the shuttle bus service of the festival itself. You will have to buy a ticket beforehand. You can do that here. For 7.50 euros, the busses will take you in 5 directions:

Line 1: Direction Gent-Dampoort
Line 2: Direction Antwerp
Line 3: Direction Aalst
Line 4: Direction Sint-Niklaas/Beveren
Line 5: Direction Hulst.

For more detailed information you can click here.

These busses do not take you TO the festival, they only take you BACK as the local train service provides enough possibilities to get you to the festival.

Good to know

• The Lokerse feesten is not only the bands and the food. The whole area around it is also a party. There’s always a fair with multiple rides and the atmosphere just screams joy and fun.
• The Red Bull Music Room only has a certain capacity, so if it reaches this capacity they will temporarily close it until people leave and others can enter. If you bought a ticket specifically for the Red Bull Music Room you can always enter.
• If you are in a wheelchair or your mobility is not 100%, there are specific parking spots close to the festival area. You do need to fill in a form for that. There are special toilets that are accessible for wheelchair users and there is a higher platform so you’ll be able to get a good view, even if you have to sit down. There are always people available at the festival who can help you when you need it, so don’t worry.
• There are no lockers available, so don’t bring too much stuff with you.
• On the festival terrain there’s a lot of (fast) food and other delicious snacks. However, if you are vegetarian or if you’re allergic to specific stuff, it might be hard to find something to your liking.

Line up

On the metal day on the 4th of August we can expect bands like Scorpions, Europe, Alestorm, Monster Magnet, Life of Agony, Brutus, DJ’s Goe Vur In Den Otto, Stake, Evil Invaders, Wiegedood and Wolvennest.
On the punk rock day on the 6th of August we can expect bands like The Offspring, NOFX, Heideroosjes, The Damned, Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg, DJ Eppo Janssen, Sons, Cocaine Piss, It It Anita and Black Leather Jacket.

For the readers, the metal day and the punkrock day might be the most interesting yet days that Patti Smith/Whispering Sons or Therapy?/Arno/Triggerfinger are playing, might be very appealing as well. But if you’re an all-round music fan, be sure to check out the other days as well. If you have kids, there’s also a special kids afternoon on the 10th of August. The entrance for that afternoon will be free.

See you there!