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🇧🇪 Belgium /Culture & Society

Hasselt prepares for Jenever Festival with reusable cups, new campaign art and music rules

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Hasselt’s Jenever Festival will introduce uniform reusable cups holding 3.5 centiliters each for its 2026 edition.
  • Unreturned cups will support Homie, a civic initiative helping homeless young people, while visitors will be barred from bringing their own glasses.
  • Organizers will promote live music and set guidance on sound levels and coordination among vendors and hospitality partners.

Hasselt’s Jenever Festival is already taking shape for its 2026 edition, scheduled for October 17 and 18. Organizers are promising a cleaner, more coordinated event, with new reusable cups, stricter rules on glassware and clearer expectations for music.

Our cups all have the same capacity, exactly 3.5 centiliters.

— Sigi BodsonHe explains the purpose of the festival’s new standardized reusable cups.

The cups will all hold exactly 3.5 centiliters. Sigi Bodson, chairman of the De Hasseltse Jeneverfeesten association, said the uniform measure would help visitors know how much they are drinking and let them use the same cup at every stand. It should also simplify operations for vendors.

Visitors who leave their cups in designated collection bins will support Homie, a civic initiative that provides shelter, housing and guidance for homeless young people. The festival is also moving toward a completely glass-free format. Bringing personal glasses will be strictly prohibited to reduce waste, disruption and safety risks.

We are focusing mainly on live music and raising awareness among our vendors about sound levels, so every visitor can enjoy their jenever in a pleasant way.

— Laurence LibertThe alderman describes the festival’s new approach to music and volume.

Music will be another focus. Organizers want continuity while raising quality, and will issue guidance on volume levels and coordination between vendors and hospitality partners. Alderman Laurence Libert said the festival would encourage live music and make vendors more aware of sound levels, so visitors can enjoy the jenever and the event in a pleasant atmosphere.

These circular forms symbolically refer to the movements visitors make during the Jenever Festival: from stand to stand, through streets and squares, and past the many activities in the city.

— Jorden BouletThe artist explains the meaning of the new campaign image.

The festival’s visual identity has also changed. Hasselt artist and painting teacher Jorden Boulet designed an abstract image featuring circular scribbles against stylized jenever glasses. He said the circles symbolize visitors moving from stand to stand, through the city’s streets and squares, and among its many activities.

The image captures the event’s dynamism and sense of connection in a contemporary and artistic way.

— Jorden BouletHe describes the intended effect of the campaign artwork.
About this summary

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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