The 47th edition of Rock Werchter, Belgium's biggest rock festival, was completely sold out, with 88,000 visitors visiting the meadows every day.
Of the almost 90,000 daily festival-goers who attended the major event, 67,500 people bought a combi ticket, while 20,500 people decided to visit the festival for just one day. No fewer than 50,000 visitors opted to stay in the festival camping site.
After four days of dancing and singing along, making difficult decisions between artists on the line-up, moments of being exhausted and major enthusiasm, the major Belgian festival in Werchter, near Leuven, ended with a bang on Sunday night.
Strong headliners
The British band Arctic Monkeys closed the four-day festival with a strong show, their older songs in particular getting the crowd singing heartily. The band has played the festival many times before. But while previous shows received less enthusiastic reviews, the performance on Sunday was a crowd-winner.
Of the 100 acts on the bill, the Arctic Monkeys were one of 30 British performers, up from 19 last year. This included British folk rock band Mumford & Sons, who replaced Belgian icon Stromae as the festival's headline act on Thursday 29 June.
The main stage during the first day of Rock Werchter 2023. Credit: Belga/ Virginie Lefour
Another British band, rock group Muse, closed day three of Rock Werchter, although their performance was slightly hindered by technical problems during their set. US band Red Hot Chili Peppers was the main headlining act on day two (Friday) of Rock Werchter.
The 47th edition also brought the largest roster of Belgian artists ever, including artists such as Oscar and the Wolf, Black Box Revelation, blackwave., Tamino and Compact Disk Dummies.
The next edition of Rock Werchter will take place from Thursday 4 to Sunday 7 July 2024.
