Pukkelpop Sells Out Its Combi Tickets

This year’s lineup has Calvin Harris, Deadmau5, Queens Of The Stone Age, Ed Sheeran and Editors.

Festival spokeswoman Katrien Goossens says some day tickets are available for all three days Aug. 14-16. However, at the onsale the festival had only 13,000 tickets for each day compared with the 53,000 combi tickets, which make up more than 80 percent of Pukkelpop’s 66,000 capacity.

The festival seems to have recovered from the deadly tragedy in 2011. Apart from the loss of five lives and a further 140 people injured when a fierce thunderstorm tore through the site on the opening day in 2011, the fact that Pukkelpop was blameless meant it took a cruel financial hit.

The inquiry into the disaster that also uprooted trees and wrecked two stages concluded that the incident was a “force majeure,” a chance occurrence or unavoidable accident.

It was a verdict that provided a way out for the insurers. The organisers’ public liability insurance was so comprehensive it provided cover for any mistakes they themselves might make, but the Hasselt public prosecutor found that they didn’t make any mistakes and cannot be found liable.

The festival survived the financial hit by compensating the 2011 crowd with vouchers for food and drink for its next three editions, an arrangement that comes to an end this year.

The other acts at Hasselt this year include Royksopp, The National, Outkast, Jake Bugg, Ed Sheeran, and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.