Pukkelpop 2015

[Semprini]

Saw that news article on efests earlier today about No Doubt and wondered if it could be them? Took my wife to see Gwen Stefani at Wembley Arena a few years ago and she was brilliant so I'd pop my head in to have a look if they did play.

That NOS line up does look pretty decent but like you've said they've only got three stages to fill so can spend more per band. The Dance tent on Friday and Sunday looks ace - I reckon I'd be in there most of the time!

There aren't a lot of quality bands on Friday Dave but the dance stuff is really good. You know we'll be bouncing between the Boiler and Dance Hall once the sun goes down anyway!

[Slavivlad]

Regarding buying tickets, whats the difference between campsite A and B? And 20 vouchers for food - is it enough/too much/should you get one each or can you share or is it just not worth buying?

[DDave]

There is that yeah, Semprini :-)

Putting my positive hat on, the Friday is the one that has the least number of names so there's hope there. I think Rudimental is a great choice for a closer on the Thursday. Major Lazer should be a good party and Underworld will be a quality closer on the Marquee (I'm assuming).

Edited April 22, 2015 by DiscothequeDave

[DDave]

Regarding buying tickets, whats the difference between campsite A and B? And 20 vouchers for food - is it enough/too much/should you get one each or can you share or is it just not worth buying?

Not sure about the camping (think A is the campsite of choice though, one is a shuttle bus ride away)

As for the vouchers, its 1 ticket for half a beer. I normally find that 20 tickets lasts me a day. I'll probably buy 40 tickets and get any more needed on site.

[TheNewUnion]

Regarding buying tickets, whats the difference between campsite A and B? And 20 vouchers for food - is it enough/too much/should you get one each or can you share or is it just not worth buying?

A is right across the road from the festival, B is (I think) walkable but there's a bus too.

The bars and food stalls are all token only so you'll need some if you want to eat or drink inside. Dead easy to just nip out for a few beers or some food though, but I just had 50 I think, lasted for a few beers each day with the rest being bought outside for 1 or 2

[Slavivlad]

Cheers guys. Will probably see you there

[Semprini]

If you have gaps in the day then it's well worth heading out of the arena to get food and beers (as the others have said). As a way of appeasing the local residents, they let them set up stalls in their gardens. Some of them really go to town and put up big marquees with picnic tables, proper shop-style counters, fridges, big frying machines etc to do a whole range of foods. Much of it is nicer than in the festival and a lot cheaper.

I usually get 80 tokens for the weekend but I don't tend to go off site to buy food or drinks.

[chimmer]

bought tickets and eurostar today...very excited

for the final headliner, could it not be one of the obvious reading ones like libs, metallica or mumford?

wishful thinking but would love to see faith no more & duran duran added tbh.

what can a first timer expect here aswell? am a festival veteran in the UK....download, glasto, reading, bestival etc. and did EXIT in 2010.

so a full pint is 2 tokens which is how much? 5 euro?

whats the food like, pretty standard....or do they have mussels stalls??

well organised and easy to get to?


just any feedback would be great, very excited to finally go after drooling over the lineups year after year

[DDave]

bought tickets and eurostar today...very excited

for the final headliner, could it not be one of the obvious reading ones like libs, metallica or mumford?

wishful thinking but would love to see faith no more & duran duran added tbh.

what can a first timer expect here aswell? am a festival veteran in the UK....download, glasto, reading, bestival etc. and did EXIT in 2010.

so a full pint is 2 tokens which is how much? 5 euro?

whats the food like, pretty standard....or do they have mussels stalls??

well organised and easy to get to?

just any feedback would be great, very excited to finally go after drooling over the lineups year after year

Libertines too small, Metallica and Mumfords not available.

[Snorefest]

so a full pint is 2 tokens which is how much? 5 euro?

whats the food like, pretty standard....or do they have mussels stalls??

well organised and easy to get to?

Yeah they don't do pint sizes I don't think, but a regular beer is basically half a pint. Last few years tokens have been €2,50 each so if that remains the same, 5 for a pint it is!

Tip: there's a 'special beers' bar at the far end opposite the Main Stage, close to the Club stage. While there's nothing super special there usually, they do have Grimbergen, darker beers and Radlers there all of which I find preferable over the regular Maes beer.

Food-wise, depends on your taste really. There's quite a lot of variety on offer, but you've got to search for it. Pizza, fries & hamburgers are quite abundantly available. But there's also falafel, a terrific pie stand, mussels indeed, I remember there's sometimes even a Chiquita banana stand lol.

My tips: the 'Petit Bazar' area usually has some quirkier foodcars with a lil' more healthy/bio stuff. Also if you're feeling adventurous - last year they debuted the 'Trashure Island' recycling area, where you could make smoothies with bicycles and it had a bar where you could get delicious insect burgers!

[Semprini]

bought tickets and eurostar today...very excited

for the final headliner, could it not be one of the obvious reading ones like libs, metallica or mumford?

wishful thinking but would love to see faith no more & duran duran added tbh.

what can a first timer expect here aswell? am a festival veteran in the UK....download, glasto, reading, bestival etc. and did EXIT in 2010.

so a full pint is 2 tokens which is how much? 5 euro?

whats the food like, pretty standard....or do they have mussels stalls??

well organised and easy to get to?

just any feedback would be great, very excited to finally go after drooling over the lineups year after year

Welcome on board, it's a great fest (aside from the headliners!!).

I've done a few festivals in England and I much prefer going to PKP. The range of music perfectly suits my personal tastes and the set up of the stages makes it really easy to get around the site quickly. They always have their finger on the pulse and put on bands that are just breaking or up and coming. Unlike in the UK, people don't tend to camp out at a particular stage (with the exception of the Main as night time kicks in) so you can usually just walk up a few minutes before a band starts and get right to the front. Sound on all stages is good and they put a bit of effort into the production, especially in the Boiler and Dance Hall. I love the fact most of the stages are tents, although the outdoor dance area really comes into its own after dark.

The atmosphere is fairly laid back and some people have commented on how the crowd don't seem to go as mad as in the UK. That's definitely not true of the dance area, which is as banging as any festival I've ever been to. Never seen any trouble in all the years I've been and you don't tend to see many wasted people, the Belgian's can hold their drink! I think it's very well organised - you never really have to queue for anything and they run the stages on time etc. Ticket includes free travel on trains and buses both on the way there and the journey home. Can't comment on what the camping is like as never done it.

Quite a few people on here have been a number of times so you'll get loads of helpful advice and tips, just ask away!

[chimmer]

Yeah they don't do pint sizes I don't think, but a regular beer is basically half a pint. Last few years tokens have been €2,50 each so if that remains the same, 5 for a pint it is!

Tip: there's a 'special beers' bar at the far end opposite the Main Stage, close to the Club stage. While there's nothing super special there usually, they do have Grimbergen, darker beers and Radlers there all of which I find preferable over the regular Maes beer.

Food-wise, depends on your taste really. There's quite a lot of variety on offer, but you've got to search for it. Pizza, fries & hamburgers are quite abundantly available. But there's also falafel, a terrific pie stand, mussels indeed, I remember there's sometimes even a Chiquita banana stand lol.

My tips: the 'Petit Bazar' area usually has some quirkier foodcars with a lil' more healthy/bio stuff. Also if you're feeling adventurous - last year they debuted the 'Trashure Island' recycling area, where you could make smoothies with bicycles and it had a bar where you could get delicious insect burgers!

mussells is what i was hoping for! decent portions...often find I'm left starving from the small portions they serve at reading every year.

well 5 euro is okay...was hoping it would be a bit cheaper...but still better than UK fest prices i guess!

what are the clientele like that go? decent crowd? anything else worth noting?

[chimmer]

Welcome on board, it's a great fest (aside from the headliners!!).

I've done a few festivals in England and I much prefer going to PKP. The range of music perfectly suits my personal tastes and the set up of the stages makes it really easy to get around the site quickly. They always have their finger on the pulse and put on bands that are just breaking or up and coming. Unlike in the UK, people don't tend to camp out at a particular stage (with the exception of the Main as night time kicks in) so you can usually just walk up a few minutes before a band starts and get right to the front. Sound on all stages is good and they put a bit of effort into the production, especially in the Boiler and Dance Hall. I love the fact most of the stages are tents, although the outdoor dance area really comes into its own after dark.

The atmosphere is fairly laid back and some people have commented on how the crowd don't seem to go as mad as in the UK. That's definitely not true of the dance area, which is as banging as any festival I've ever been to. Never seen any trouble in all the years I've been and you don't tend to see many wasted people, the Belgian's can hold their drink! I think it's very well organised - you never really have to queue for anything and they run the stages on time etc. Ticket includes free travel on trains and buses both on the way there and the journey home. Can't comment on what the camping is like as never done it.

Quite a few people on here have been a number of times so you'll get loads of helpful advice and tips, just ask away!

cheers man, really appreciate it!

excited to check it out....but like you say, headliners aren't great, but undercard for me is top drawer!

ta!

[johnybegood]

Saw that news article on efests earlier today about No Doubt and wondered if it could be them? Took my wife to see Gwen Stefani at Wembley Arena a few years ago and she was brilliant so I'd pop my head in to have a look if they did play.

That NOS line up does look pretty decent but like you've said they've only got three stages to fill so can spend more per band. The Dance tent on Friday and Sunday looks ace - I reckon I'd be in there most of the time!

There aren't a lot of quality bands on Friday Dave but the dance stuff is really good. You know we'll be bouncing between the Boiler and Dance Hall once the sun goes down anyway!

If they have booked No Doubt, why didn't they announce them?

We have 3 realistic options:

• The headliner is a Werchter band, and can't be announced for any reason (example: its werchter day isn't sold out yet)
• They have no headliner, like 2013 after Neil Young cancellation, and they are looking for it. If the ticket sales are going OK, they will get a "cheap invention" like Oscar And The Wolf headling Saturday (like they did with Major Lazer as replacement for Neil Young)
• Offspring headlining with the "cheap invention" subbing

Edited April 22, 2015 by johnybegood

[DDave]

I'm still saying Blur or Stromae.

[Slavivlad]

I'm still hoping it's one of Glasto's unannounced and hence why PKP can't go ahead.

[Dietediet]

If they have booked No Doubt, why didn't they announce them?

We have 3 realistic options:

• The headliner is a Werchter band, and can't be announced for any reason (example: its werchter day isn't sold out yet)
• They have no headliner, like 2013 after Neil Young cancellation, and they are looking for it. If the ticket sales are going OK, they will get a "cheap invention" like Oscar And The Wolf headling Saturday (like they did with Major Lazer as replacement for Neil Young)
• Offspring headlining with the "cheap invention" subbing

I was long thinking nr 1, but since RW is sold out bar the Mumfords day, there's nothing that stopped them from announcing it last Tuesday. Unless RW has an embargo set, regardless of selling out. My fear is that we're currently at nr 2, with nr 3 as a realistic option.

[DDave]

<p>

If they have booked No Doubt, why didn't they announce them?

We have 3 realistic options:

• The headliner is a Werchter band, and can't be announced for any reason (example: its werchter day isn't sold out yet)
• They have no headliner, like 2013 after Neil Young cancellation, and they are looking for it. If the ticket sales are going OK, they will get a "cheap invention" like Oscar And The Wolf headling Saturday (like they did with Major Lazer as replacement for Neil Young)
• Offspring headlining with the "cheap invention" subbing

4. It's Prince and my head falls off.

[johnybegood]

I've just realized that Pukkelpop's Comunity Manager has deleted all the negative comments regarding the price of the tickets and the weakness of the line-up under their Facebook post announcing the start of the ticket sales. Yesterday I saw some people complaining hardly about it and today all this comments have disappeared!! Can you believe it? It's the first time that I see a festival doing that... As somebody said before, Pukkelpop is having an unnaceptable polity of Public Relations this year... they even don't respect the freedom of speach.

Edited April 23, 2015 by johnybegood

[DDave]

I've just realized that Pukkelpop's Comunity Manager has deleted all the negative comments regarding the price of the tickets and the weakness of the line-up under their Facebook post announcing the start of the ticket sales. Yesterday I saw some people complaining hardly about it and today all this comments have disappeared!! Can you believe it? It's the first time that I see a festival doing that... As somebody said before, Pukkelpop is having an unnaceptable polity of Public Relations this year... they even don't respect the freedom of speach.

I saw that. Bloody scandalous. Has someone taken over the running of the festival this year or what?

[Dietediet]

I've just realized that Pukkelpop's Comunity Manager has deleted all the negative comments regarding the price of the tickets and the weakness of the line-up under their Facebook post announcing the start of the ticket sales. Yesterday I saw some people complaining hardly about it and today all this comments have disappeared!! Can you believe it? It's the first time that I see a festival doing that... As somebody said before, Pukkelpop is having an unnaceptable polity of Public Relations this year... they even don't respect the freedom of speach.

That's seriously just pathetic...

I guess it also shows they don't have a positive outlook on their ticket sales, if they're expecting good sales they wouldn't be afraid of facebook criticism.

[TheNewUnion]

Deleting comments on the Facebook is a dick move. Shows they're lacking confidence in their line up, if they really believed in what they were doing they'd defend against the criticism and not just delete it.

[johnybegood]

Dave, the facebook comment you wrote this morning has been also deleted! Amazing!!!

[DDave]

Dave, the facebook comment you wrote this morning has been also deleted! Amazing!!!

Unbelievable.

[DDave]

Dave, the facebook comment you wrote this morning has been also deleted! Amazing!!!

Hang on....which one?