Alex Stevens leaves Dour Festival after 23 years
Alex Stevens has announced his departure from Dour, a longstanding annual music festival in Belgium.
The industry veteran has worked for Dour for 23 years, serving in creative and artistic direction for the past 12.
“The time has come for me to turn this significant chapter in my life,” says Stevens. “I’ve chosen not to renegotiate a new contract for the 2024 edition, wishing to regain my independence within my own structure. The urge to explore new horizons and to fully dedicate myself to my personal projects has never been stronger.”
Stevens will continue to curate lineups for various festivals including Marsatac (cap. 15,000) in Marseille, which he has been involved with since 2018. As of this year, he is also in charge of curation for Sakifo and Les Francofolies festivals on Reunion Island (15,000).
“I will continue my collaborations with these three festivals to help them make their events even stronger artistically while improving their profitability,” he tells IQ.
“I leave Dour Festival in a more radiant state than ever”
Stevens will also dedicate more time to his software tool, Bookr.fm, which was designed to assist festivals in streamlining their processes, identifying talent, and displaying data related to their audience through his startup, Music Data Studio.
The software has already been successfully used at Dour Festival, Couleur Café, Plissken, Marsatac, Sakifo and by the Belgian export office Wallonie-Bruxelles Musiques. “There’s immense potential here, and I’m receiving many inquiries,” he adds.
The most recent edition of Dour took place between 12 and 16 July in the Belgian town of the same name with artists including Aphex Twin, Peggy Gou and Romy.
“Over the past few years, I’ve worked diligently to ensure the sustainability and success of our projects under the best possible conditions,” Stevens concludes. “I leave Dour Festival in a more radiant state than ever, culminating this chapter with one of the most remarkable editions we’ve known.”
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