Dour Turns 25

Belgium’s Dour Festival is celebrating its 25th birthday by asking fans to help book the bill for the anniversary bash.

Fans have been given a month to complete an online form and submit their recommendations as to who should play the La Plaine de la Machine a Feu site near the French border July 18-21.

In the summer, the festival, which is one of the country’s largest, was found to be the world’s most influential when it comes to discovering new talent, according to a survey by Last.FM.

The festival attracts about 70 percent of its visitors from Belgium, 16 percent from France and 5 percent each from The Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

In January 2010, it won the prize for the best medium-sized festival at the European Festival Awards. The lineup for last year’s Dour included The Flaming Lips, Ministry, Franz Ferdinand, Bon Iver and Selah Sue.