Rock Werchter announces alternative event

Belgium’s Rock Werchter has announced a smaller stand-in event for the flagship festival which was cancelled in March.

The concert series, dubbed Werchter Parklife, is set to run for four days a week between 1 July and 1 August 2021 in a temporary open-air arena at the Werchter festival site.

Already confirmed for Werchter Parklife are Balthazar (1 July), Goose (2 July), Arsenal and Tin Fingers (3 July), Lil Kleine and Ronnie Flex & The Fam (4 July, afternoon), Black Box Revelation and Equal Idiots (4 July, evening).

Up to 2,500 fans will be permitted to attend each concert, divided into 625 safe bubbles of four people. Tickets for Werchter Parklife went on sale this morning (18 May) in batches of four.

Up to 2,500 fans will be permitted to attend each [Werchter Parklife] concert, divided into 625 safe bubbles of four people

Rock Werchter (cap. 88,000), promoted by Herman Schueremans and Live Nation Belgium, will “be back in full swing in 2022, from 30 June to 3 July” after two years off.

The festival last took place in 2019, welcoming more than 160,000 people for its 45th-anniversary event with Pink, Tool, Muse, the Cure, Florence and the Machine, Mumford and Sons and more.

Belgian festivals including Graspop, Suikerrock, Couleur Cafe, Gent Jazz and Dour have also been called off, while Pukkelpop and Tomorrowland are still on at the time of writing.

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.