I am a little sad and angry. Maybe even a LOT sad and angry. How did I manage to miss this festival for ten consecutive years? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I might never forgive myself. Because holy shit, this was the best experience I’ve ever had at a festival. It was SO great; from the beautiful location, the lovely people, to the atmosphere & ambiance it was all TOP NOTCH. That mix between nature, culture and music is FANTASTIC. From now on, it’ll be an essential part of my summer.
This is the first part in what promises to be a fun series of posts about Brakrock, and it is all about the festival itself! It’s not some run of the mill thing and needs a bit of explaining. Next part will be about all the lovely people I met there. After that I will dedicate a few blog posts to all of the amazing performances and artists I got to enjoy.
1: That location!
I mean. It has everything. Green surroundings, wildlife water and culture. Brakrock is located around the ruins of Castle ter Elst, a listed monument in Duffel. Idyllic doesn’t even begin to describe it. Just look at this picture! There was shade from the trees on the first day, relief from the rain under those same trees on day two. Seeing Pennywise rock out while lounging near the river and still hearing the chirps of crickets was its own kind of magic.
Plus, because I had press access, I got to check out the pretty deer grazing and met the chickens and birds hanging out backstage. Thanks again to Kim @Brakrock for providing me with my accreditation, it meant the world to me to enjoy this beautiful festival as press. And I promise, you won’t be sorry! Cost per post is going to be pretty damn low! 😂
2: Green as fuck
Brakrock is an eco-friendly festival and I love it. They’ve been doing it since before it was the norm for festivals too! The cup for cup system was great (take notes Parkpop Mechelen & Lokerse feesten, you’re doing it wrong). You pay one token for a cup and get a new cup every new drink. No hassle, just easy eco-ness. And you get your full token back for your deposited cups. (Though I must say, I did keep a few pink cups because they’re just so sturdy and amazing to have as a memento.)
Same for food stuffs. And whereas the food was on the pricey side (as everything seems to be these days), the fries were actually really good! As opposed to other festivals I’ve been to this summer where I got yellow cardboard sticks. Good fries shouldn’t be this hard for Belgians, come on! Kudos to the food trucks.
During the festival, there were people picking up the trash that did get thrown out. But there wasn’t much, I noticed. And not many cigarette butts because they provided cigarette shaped ashtrays all over + you got a free ashtray envelope if you asked. Lovely to see the location will probably look much the same after two days of the festival as it did before. Aside from the muddy trampled grassy bits, but that’s something that should be easily remedied.
3. That Line-up!
SO. Many. Great. Bands. I took the time beforehand, to write out an itinerary of what I wanted and NEEDED to see. Fortunately most of it was easily combined running from the Wood to the River and back again. I had to only make two hard choices to get a full workable list. I think next year I will add more Ruin stage bands because I let myself get sidetracked a few times and I got a pleasant surprise each time.
I probably also missed a bunch on the Belgian Beer Bar stage, but unfortunately choosing is losing and as a new friend said ‘you miss more at a festival than you see.’! I also had to sit out a few shows because my body was protesting all the fun I was having, but I still had a very filled timetable. And it wasn’t exactly a punishment to rest up in that lovely scenery. ❤ And I still got to enjoy things from afar.
I managed to go to all my must-see’s, knocked off a bucket list band and discovered more than a few new hyperfixations!
4. The stages!
Four totally different stages with a different feel and atmosphere. The main stage is by the River and is a big’un. Aside from the front stage area, there’s also a nice seated side area to rest up if it’s all getting to be too much, or if you want to stay out of the press of the crowd.
The Wood stage is a great experience as well. A little closer to the bands, a little lower and more accessible. Lots of shade and a few wooden resting areas for when the mud got too bad. And it’s right by the pond, overlooking the Ruins.
Then, the Ruin stage behind the castle ruins. A lot smaller for an intimate vibe. Right up in the face of the bands and artist!
At Maritiem cafe ‘t Anker, last but certainly not least, was the Belgian Beer Bar stage for intimate acoustic performances. Only managed to see one show there, but it was a doozy!
5. The organisation & volunteers
Such wonderful people, every last one of them! Everyone was so nice and just happy to be there. You will meet some of them in the next post. I want to thank everyone I encountered and hope to see you again next year. You are the backbone of this amazing festival that I will try to never miss again.
So, next up is a post about all the Purple People I met on my two day stay on festival grounds. Before going into this, I hatched the plan to bring my rainbow pillow (see: Punk in Drublic) and have it signed by everyone I met because of the music. Fan, band, merch people, organiser, I didn’t matter. Everyone is part of the music. So next up, Part 2: The people of Brakrock. And don’t worry, we’ll follow them to the music afterwards!
Brakrock – Kasteel ter Elst – Duffel – August 4th & 5th 2023
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