The Graspop Metal Meeting festival goers are currently under control, though a few cars have already had to be towed, according to the organisers and local authorities.
All festival car parks will be closed over the weekend due to heavy rains that hit the site earlier this week, leaving attendees to park in the streets of Dessel.
Graspop organisers have strongly recommended people use public transport and bicycles to get to the festival. "Attendees have heard us, we currently have about 50% more people coming by train than in previous years," Kris Van Dijk, Mayor of Dessel.
The muddy parking lot on the first day of the Graspop Metal Meeting festival in Dessel, on Thursday 20 June 2024. Credit: Belga / Jill Delsaux
Shuttle buses will keep running between Mol train station and the festival site, with waiting times projected to reach up to half an hour.
Those who must come by car can park in the nearby town of Witgoor and take a shuttle. Exceptionally, the town has authorised street parking around the festival.
"Things are running smoothly so far," claimed Van Dijk. However, the police had to intervene in some cases where cars were parked on cycling lanes or blocking pathways, which was not the intended purpose.
Metal and hard rock fans can look forward to performances by Tool, Judas Priest, Bring Me The Horizon, Limp Bizkit, Scorpions, Deep Purple, Avenged Sevenfold, Machine Head and Five Finger Death Punch among others.
