On Thursday evening, the gates to part of the festival grounds opened up to the start of this year’s edition of Pukkelpop in Hasselt. To ease into the festival mood this first day started with acts playing from 6PM, but you could entertain yourself until 4AM if you wanted to. For this first day five of the nine stages were in use, mostly missing the main stage.
With 50.000 people attending the first day of the festival, it was set to be a killer start to the weekend. The festival also encouraged people to come by bike, if possible, and set up 15.000 parking spaces for them. The camp sites were located right across the street from the entrance, so no endless walking was needed.
This day was all about local talents, with a few artists coming from neighbouring country The Netherlands. Most of the names on the line-up were DJ’s, so there was plenty of dancing in all stages. The gates to the festival opened at 6PM and immediately two DJ’s started their sets. You could watch Poleen or Maraschino, or both since their sets lasted for two hours. Opening the Wave stage was Nicky Du Soleil XXL, who brought two special guests along for his set: Isabelle A and Luc Steeno. Over on the Club stage the first mosh pits of the weekend were formed during No Prisoners.
The first to grace the Marquee this weekend was J. Bernardt. The singer is also known for his role in the band Balthazar, but has been making a name solo as well when the band took a break in 2016. After his band walked out on stage, it was time for him to come on in a full suit. After greeting the crowd he quickly took off his suit jacket, as it was 30+ degrees celsius and way too hot to be wearing that many layers. Their energy was through the roof from the start and fans immediately started dancing along to the songs. Later in their set Eefje de Visser joined them on stage for a song, giving the fans a taste of her vocals before her own set later in the evening.
At 9.25PM it was time for the official opening of this year’s festival, celebrating 40 years since the first edition. A beautiful firework display was put on above the Boiler stage, opening the festival with a bang while some techno beats were playing. Soon after the fireworks ended, Eefje de Visser took to the stage of the Marquee. With her band in place, she and her two dancers / back up singers stood at the center of the stage. They had some beautiful choreographies that fit perfectly with Eefje’s voice. For the second song they took place at the back of the stage, Eefje now with her guitar in hand. Sadly they were a bit hidden by all the fog on stage, but that did not make the performance any less great.
Roxy Dekker has been rising to fame, participating in 2019’s edition of Junior Songfestival with the group 6TIMES and singing covers on TikTok. A big jump in her career happened with the release of “Satisfyer” and later “Sugardaddy.” The Wave was spilling out of its sides with people, all wanting to see Roxy perform. Her set started with the songs “Proost” and “Casual.” After the latter she told the crowd that they were singing along so loud, she could barely hear herself anymore. She then introduced the song “Industry Plant” and when she started the crowd began singing along even louder, making Roxy laugh and point the microphone to the crowd. To then play one of her biggest hits, “Satisfyer,” she asked the crowd if they were 18+ and if they owned a satisfyer, the crowd replied by screaming loudly to which Roxy jokingly made a disgusted face.
One mysterious name had made its way onto the line-up: EXIT. Their bio on the festival site told us that it’s a Belgian band, who has been quiet for years and making their comeback this evening at the Marquee stage. Before the festival people were speculating about who it could be, with one name most mentioned: Bazart.
A big banner with “EXIT” on it was at the back of the stage and the band was introduced as EXIT, before Bazart walked out on stage. Many people guessed correctly and were ecstatic to see the band again. For the 40th birthday of the festival, it had to be a special set. They brought out four special guests, starting with Eefje de Visser for the song “Onder Ons.” Back during the COVID lockdown Bazart covered the song “When The Lights Go Down” by Novastar, and tonight was the first night they played it live, with no one other than Novastar’s Joost Zweegers himself. Dana Winne joined the band on stage to play “Hou Mij Vast” and last but not least Bente joined in for “Zoutelande.” Let’s hope Bazart feels how much the people have missed them and won’t make them wait too long to see them live again.
Day two of the festival was another hot and sweaty day, but also with a line-up that is filled to the brim with amazing acts you did not want to miss. This was the first whole day where all stages were in use and with the whole festival grounds opened up.
At the Marquee it was time for Palaye Royale. Frontman Remington ran out to the riser and jumped right to the center stage, setting the tone for the energy that a Palaye Royale show has. We were once again wondering how anyone could wear so many layers of clothing in this heat, with guitarist Sebastian and keyboardist Emerson wearing full suits, but Remington decided to dress for the weather, showing off all his tattoos without his shirt on. During the song “No Love In LA” Remington had a water pistol, spraying it all over the crowd. Everyone was clapping, waving, singing and dancing along. Sebastian walked down from the stage, getting closer to the fans by standing on the barricade. During the song “Broken” the crowd put up their flashlights. It wouldn’t be a Palaye Royale show if Remington did not go into the crowd in a rubber boat near the end of the show.
One really special moment of the day was Fin Power, frontman of STONE, cycling from his flat in London to the festival. He biked about 100km a day, raising money for Nordoff and Robbins. This is a music therapy charity helping people living with illness, disability and isolation. He is also putting the shirt he biked in up for auction, donating the money to De Warmste Week. You might think a trip like that would’ve been exhausting, but there was no lack of energy from Fin at all, which might also be from all the Redbull he has been drinking on stage. Their set was filled with great songs like “NEVER AGAIN,” “If You Wanna,” and “Save Me.” The band also played a part of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” dedicating it to Ozzy Osbourne.
One of the Belgian pop queens of the moment is Pommelien Thijs, who filled up the whole festival field with people wanting to see her performance. The crowd was singing along loudly to every song, going extra crazy for songs like “Erop Of Eronder” and “Atlas.”
The Kooks have been around for years, but both the older and the newer generation enjoyed watching them. Singer Luke Pritchard walked out on stage in leather pants, while the sun was shining brightly especially on the open main stage. They had great energy and their songs fit perfectly on this sunny summer day. Not everyone could sing along to every song, but “Naive,” “She Moves In Her Own Way” and “Bad Habit” sure got a lot of people who knew the words.
One name on today’s line-up gathered a lot of fans: Chappell Roan. This was her first time ever playing in Belgium. There were many people who only bought a ticket to see her, showing up to the festival grounds wearing pink and cowboy hats. Even the security who were standing near the stage wore pink cowboy hats for the occasion. The production she brought along was massive, building a whole castle on the Main Stage. Her set started with fireworks at the back of her castle and she was rising up onto the stage. She wore a purple outfit with green accents, giving off both Rapunzel and forest fairy. First up was “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl” followed by “Femininomenon.”
Before the song the giver someone walked out with a hard helmet, filled with names of people’s exes and reasons why they couldn’t get the job done. Chappell pulled out two and gave them a loud “Booo” after reading out the reasons to the crowd. After this she played the song “The Giver.” The set was filled with lots of pyro and fireworks, adding to the great staging. Highlights of the set were of course the iconic dance for “HOT TO GO!” and ending the set with “Pink Pony Club.”
Switching from Chappell Roan to the next set was a complete turn around genre wise, as up next was I Prevail. They also had pyro and frontman Eric even wore a pink cowboy hat for a minute during “Violent Nature.” The setlist was filled with both older and new songs, playing songs like “Body Bag,” “Bad Things” and “Rain.”
Eric dedicated the next song to the fans who have been listening to them for 10 years, which was their version of Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space.” This was not the only cover on the setlist, as they also played System Of A Down’s “Chop Suey.” Earlier in the day the band had been watching Guilt Trip their set and also wanted some circle pits from the crowd. Expecting a few stranglers who were curious after Chappell Roan ended, Eric first explained to the crowd what a circle pit exactly is. They dedicated their song “Hurricane” to their friend Dave Shapiro, who tragically died in a plane crash a few months ago.
For the third day the sun disappeared and was replaced by clouds and a temperature drop of 5 degrees. After burning away the cooler day was definitely not unwelcome. During this festival the phone app was not only necessary to make your best timetable for the weekend, but also to keep up to date with everything happening at the festival. Everyday the festival had sent out notifications of gifts popping up, showing an icon on the map for you to find. This could be anything for merch to food and drink tokens. There also was a button for when you felt unsafe in any shape, way or form.
Irish band Kneecap has been getting some backlash lately, but Pukkelpop welcomed them with open arms. Recently the band got banned from entering Hungary for three years, stopping them from performing at Sziget Festival. The band spoke out that people have been saying they talk about Palestine to get a following, but they wish they did not have to get up there every show and talk about it either. This set felt like a safe space for everyone to be who they are and speak up about the things they want to. Palestinian flags were waving around in the tent and multiple people held up signs. The back screen on stage showed several visuals of news articles about the genocide going on.
Joost is maybe not known to everyone but definitely loved by Europe after the whole Eurovision scandal he went through. With his fun song “Europapa” he entered the 2024 edition of Eurovision Songfestival, but got disqualified after he allegedly was aggressive towards a camera operator. The case got closed after there was no proof, and many Europeans had been asking for “Joostice” (Justice but with his name). This was his fourth time playing at Pukkelpop, which always feels like home for him. Some fans in the crowd brought Friesian flags, standing there a few performances before to get the best spot. A Joost Klein show is pure chaos, which is so much fun. He was running around the stage, smiling from ear to ear. He told the crowd that his shows are interactive and 5D and you need to be smelly after attending a show of his. Before “Buurman” he yelled “Minions, tonight we steal the moon!” before one of his friends took to the center of the stage and showed off his best ‘Hakken,’ a Dutch dance move, skills. He also brought some of his friends, like Gladde Paling for a remix, which was once again pure chaos. The crowd was loud during the whole set, but especially for “Europapa” and bonus song “Ome Robert.”
A band that has also been around for a while is IDLES. This show was full of energy, with guitarist Mark Bowen running down the catwalk in a dress at the beginning of the set. It did not take long before guitarist Lee Kiernan jumped down from stage and crowdsurfed, while still playing. A funny and unexpected song that made its way into their set was an acapella cover of “All I Want For Christmas.”
After A$AP Rocky had to cancel his appearance at the festival, the festival found a great replacement with Macklemore. For “Thrift Shop” he put on his iconic fur jacket before giving it his all on this old but gold song. The crowd loved every moment of his set, singing along and dancing to the music. The set was only filled with 13 songs, but each and every one was a good pick. Of course “Hind’s Hall” could not be missed from this setlist, released well over a year ago but sadly still relevant today. For the song “These Days” the lyrics “I heard you moved to Austin” were changed to “I heard you moved to Belgium” for the occasion.
If there’s one thing about a Macklemore show it’s that it’s not just a concert, but a whole experience. We came to the part of the set where it was time for a dance off. After his dancers and Macklemore himself showed off their moves, twerking down the stage, it was time to pick two audience members to join the dance off. Each person got 20 seconds to show their best moves, with Tess from Ireland and 13 year old Vincent from The Netherlands as the contestants. Tess was up first and started by jumping straight into the splits, giving her everything in the little time she had. Vincent seemed to be overwhelmed by the opportunity, sweater hanging around his neck and throwing his body around. After a few seconds he did not know what to do anymore and decided to just sprint down the catwalk instead.
The song “Tequila” was played over the speakers and Macklemore was throwing out Capri Suns into the crowd, wanting it to be family friendly. His set ended with nothing less than “Can’t Hold Us,” making the whole crowd go crazy one last time. During this song Macklemore jumped down the stage, climbing up into the barricade and standing on the hands of the crowd for the last “Na Na Na” part of the song.
After three amazing days, we unfortunately came to the last day of the Birthday Edition of Pukkelpop. The sun also decided to show up again today, but with a cool breeze and some clouds it was the perfect weather to go all out one last time.
Unfortunately the line-up has had some small changes throughout the weekend, FLO was unable to make it on the Friday, who were replaced by Broederliefde. Then on Saturday Mk. Gee also could not make it due to travel issues and was replaced by Arsenal. The Sunday also had a change as Royel Otis was struck down by a virus and couldn’t perform, they were then replaced by Sylvie Kreutsch. While it sucks that artists had to drop out, a big shout out to the festival organisation for finding replacements on such short notice.
This was JADE her first solo performance in Belgium and she filled up the Wave pretty well. The stage had giant glitter spikes at the back and a two part staircase that could be moved. Along with her band she had two dancers with her, who performed some cool choreographies. Her set included her solo songs, such as “IT Girl,” “Plastic Box” and “Angel Of My Dreams” as well as some Little Mix songs. In the beginning of her set she played “Wasabi” and later on performed a mash up of “Shout Out to My Ex,” “Sweet Melody,” “Woman Like Me” and “Touch.” The crowd absolutely loved her performance and energy, making the whole floor of this tent shake.
Up on the main stage Doechii built a whole jungle, with green moss stage pieces everywhere. The rapper was rising up on the middle platform, smoking a blunt during the first song. It recently was her birthday, so after performing the current trending song “Anxiety” the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to her.
Papa Roach was put at the Marquee, which was definitely way too small for them. The tent was spilling out with people from all sides, watching from the screen hanging on the outside of the tent. “Let’s take a moment of silence for the ones we have lost,” said singer Jacoby Shaddix. Surprisingly the whole tent got quiet, only hearing the sound of the DJ playing from the other stage. During the song “Help” Jacoby jumped down from stage, hugging the crowd surfers that came in and high fiving people at the barricade, while walking to the FOH. A small second stage was set up there, singing the rest of the song from back there, giving the people at the back a closer look as well.
While a big group of people could be found there, Paleface Swiss had people headbanging at the Backyard and Good Kid put on a great show in the Lift, using a slingshot to shoot merch into the crowd.
The last headliner of the festival was Queens Of The Stone Age, who filled up the whole field in front of the Main Stage. Especially “Make It With Chu” was an experience you did not want to miss out on. The band played a few minutes over time, but no one, at least from the crowd, was complaining. After the band left the stage the closing fireworks of the festival began. The biggest shooting above the Main Stage, but also to the left and right of the festival. Even though the festival would go on until the middle of the night on the other stages, the main part of Pukkelpop 2025 had unfortunately come to an end.
While we were having a great time at this festival, there is no denying that there is still a genocide going on. Other countries have banned bands and artists for speaking out, but Pukkelpop seemed to encourage it. There was a Palestinian themed crosswalk, official festival merch with a watermelon on the back and during the closing ceremony of the festival the fireworks lit up in red, white and green, while the mainstage lit up with the same colors. Multiple artists also spoke up about Palestine, especially during Kneecap their set: the tent was filled with Palestinian flags. Macklemore also showed off his support, with a Palestine patch on his vest, a glove with the colors and wearing a keffiyeh. IDLES, STONE, Chloe Slater, Been Stellar, Soapbox and The Last Dinner Party also showed their support, bringing out flags, showing a code to donate or speaking up about it.
GALLERY: Pukkelpop 2025 in Kiewit-Hasselt, Belgium (August 14-17, 2025)
