festival
© Listen Festival
Due to safety concerns, Listen Festival and the city of Brussels decided to reduce the capacity of a rave in the Louise tunnel complex and refund the oversold tickets.
What was supposed to be the showpiece of the Brussels music and dance festival Listen, threatens to become a bitter pill for many partygoers before it has even started. The tunnel complex of the Louise and Stefania tunnel would serve as a club for nine hours. The rave would be spread over three tunnels, with the same number of stages and an array of international DJs. Many visitors saw this unique day rave as the highlight of the six-day Listen Festival. The tickets went out in no time.
But about 15 percent of ticket buyers cannot participate anyway. On Wednesday afternoon, some ticket holders received an email informing them that their tickets would be refunded due to an “unforeseen capacity problem”.
Organizer of Listen Festival Dirk De Ruyck confirms that there was originally approval to rave in three tunnels, but that permission was withdrawn four weeks ago. “We then continued to look for a solution that we believed in, but in consultation with the city and the competent services, we decided at the beginning of this week to reduce the capacity. We think it’s a great shame that we have to do this, but we will pay everyone back properly and give people a discount voucher on other events to offer them an alternative.”
Disappointment
In concrete terms, it concerns risks in the event of an urgent evacuation, reports the spokesperson for Brussels mayor Philippe Close. “Given the exceptional location, it was clear from the start that this would not be easy. All services have worked with the organizer to find the safest solution. Four weeks ago it became clear for one tunnel that this would be very difficult.”
The affected ticket buyers are disappointed. Tiebe Meneve (26) bought six tickets worth 150 euros and now sees his plans go up in smoke. “The late, dry communication is annoying. The event will take place in a few days.” Meneve does not yet know whether he will take advantage of the offer to buy tickets for the other events at Listen Festival at a lower price. “It’s a sympathetic gesture, but to be honest, my desire is gone now. Diving into a club is not the same as a magical day rave in the tunnels.”
