Some 250 bands and artists are scheduled to take part in the 33rd edition of the Dour Festival, which opens on Wednesday 12 July and will run for five days, until 16 July.
The artistes include dozens who will be making their debuts on the eight stages at the 170-hectare site located around the Dour-Quiévrain wind turbines.
The organisers say it’s really “three festivals in one.”
Spectators will be able to enjoy “the best electronic line-up” in the festival’s history, including Aphex Twin, Paul Kalkbrenner, Peggy Gou and Rezz. The French-language hip-hop and rap line-up will feature Damso, Lomepal and Orelsan, while the indie line-up includes the likes of dEUS and Phoenix.
New this year, ‘the Garage’ marks the return of a stage dedicated to rock, metal, sludge and cold wave.
Only three stages will be open from 12 July, ahead of the full opening on Thursday 13 July.
The Belgian Red Cross has arranged for an average of 180 volunteer first-aiders per festival day. An emergency medical post will be operational on site, at all hours during the festivities, and a surgical medical post will be set up in the Elouges Sports Hall from 13 to 16 July.
Six first-aid teams will be at the festival site at all times, with five all-terrain vehicles at their disposal. Four ambulances will also be on stand-by, while the Red Cross Emergency Psychosocial Intervention Service, SISU, will be on hand from Wednesday morning until Sunday evening.
As far as security is concerned, the Dour-Hauts-Pays police zone has arranged for a thousand police officers from all departments to be on duty throughout the festival. The local zone will be reinforced by other police zones and various federal police services as well as the French gendarmerie and national police.
Some 50,000 festival-goers are expected each day.
