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🇧🇪 Belgium /Culture & Society

Belgian festivals navigate drug use with varied approaches amid zero-tolerance policy

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Belgian festivals enforce a zero-tolerance policy on drugs, requiring offenders to surrender drugs and pay fines, while dealers face legal action.
  • Despite a uniform policy, police and festival organizers implement diverse strategies for drug prevention and management.
  • Experts advocate for increased collaboration and sharing of best practices among festivals to address drug use risks.

Belgian festivals, including the renowned Tomorrowland, grapple with the persistent issue of drug use, which has led to fatalities in previous editions. While a zero-tolerance policy is in place, mandating the surrender of drugs for personal use and imposing fines, the approach to preventing and managing drug-related incidents varies significantly among different police zones and festival organizers.

A uniform approach is not necessarily desirable.

— Ine Van WymerschDrugs commissioner Ine Van Wymersch commenting on the varied approaches to drug management at festivals.

Experts highlight that drug use is an inherent risk associated with nightlife, including large festivals. Charlotte Colman, an interfederal drug coordinator, notes that festivals can see a higher concentration of drugs compared to other settings. However, she cautions against exaggerating the prevalence, stating that while drug use exists, it involves a minority of festival-goers. Scientific knowledge center Sciensano's drug unit head, Lies Gremeaux, points out that certain music genres and festivals, particularly electronic dance music (EDM) events like Tomorrowland, Paradise City, and Extrema Outdoor, tend to attract more synthetic drug users. This association also extends to 'hardcore' festivals such as The Qontinent and Rampage.

Nightlife, such as a festival but also a large student party, is associated with drug use. That use always comes with risks, it's that simple.

— Lies GremeauxLies Gremeaux, head of the drug unit at scientific knowledge center Sciensano, on the inherent risks of drug use at festivals.

Official data on drug-related deaths or hospitalizations at festivals is scarce, often due to medical confidentiality. For instance, the University Hospital Antwerp could not provide specific figures for Tomorrowland. However, emergency services at Tomorrowland reported that only 1.6 percent of treatments administered in a previous year were related to drugs, with the majority of medical attention being for sprained ankles and other non-drug-related issues. This suggests that while drug use is a reality, its direct impact on medical services might be less pronounced than commonly perceived, though the risks remain significant.

We see a higher concentration of drugs at festivals than elsewhere.

— Charlotte ColmanInterfederal drug coordinator Charlotte Colman on drug prevalence at festivals.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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