PKP26: THE FUTURE IS YOURS

Music took center stage at Pukkelpop once again. Sometimes loud, sometimes quiet. Sometimes with 66,000, sometimes on your own. That’s the power of music: connecting Pukkelpoppers, wherever they are. 

AND SO IT BEGINS 

Even before the 41st Pukkelpop kicked off, the countdown was on. Literally. During Pukkelblok, the Club briefly turned into a study hall. Whether studying in a festival tent leads to better grades remains to be seen. One thing’s for sure: demand was bigger than the tent. 

The Turbo Run was another instant hit. 500 lucky runners took over the festival site on Saturday morning, but we could easily have welcomed three times as many. First a lap around the grounds, then a final sprint to The Atomic Orchestra. With Jo Hermans on the baton, the Marquee went full majestic.

HERE COMES … THE SUN!

Look, mum, no hands. And every now and then, legs in the air. Four days of dancing, jumping, singing and partying with no off switch in sight.

The sun turned out to be quite the crowdpleaser too, delivering much more than the weather apps had promised. It had already made it through an eclipse earlier that week, but there were plenty of golden hours left on the horizon. A little rain on your skin every now and then, never for long and usually followed by a rainbow as a pretty solid excuse. Other than that, the sun stayed firmly on Pukkelpop’s guestlist. Very welcome indeed.

AN ETERNAL FLAME

No fireworks this year. Months of dry weather meant all pyro was scrapped before the festival. Luckily, the revamped Boiler didn’t need any actual flames to set the place on fire. DJ dead centre, Pukkelpoppers all around and 1,200 lights, almost twice as many as last year. No pyro needed, going slightly overboard on lights did the trick.

FUNNY HOW THAT WORKS

Four days at Pukkelpop, plenty to smile about. Pukkelpoppers hardly need help in that department, but Captain Comedy and De Ideale Wereld were happy to bring in the professionals. On stage, off stage and everywhere in between, there were laughs all around. Maybe happy really is the new black.

DUTCH IS PERFECTLY FINE

Plenty to fangirl and fanboy over in Dutch this year. Pommelien Thijs, Bazart, S10, Eefje de Visser, dEUS, DIKKE, Antoon, IJSLAND and co made one thing clear: Dutch was anything but the support act this weekend. 

COLLAB O’CLOCK

At Pukkelpop, “since you’re here, might as well join us” seems to be the unofficial artist policy. Pommelien Thijs popped up with MEAU and The Atomic Orchestra. She joined Bazart back in 2023, but this time Mathieu Terryn took over the collab baton, joining RONKER and De Ideale Wereld. In between, he even managed to squeeze in a set with his own band, Bazart. The Subs came, saw and conquered, with a little help from Sylvie Kreusch, MEROL and Roméo Elvis. Kaat Van Stralen practically turned collabs into a side hustle, popping up with DIKKE, Lenny Lenny and Bloody Bloody Kempen. S10 brought her best friend Froukje along for the ride. Collab bingo: almost a full house.

Pommelien Thijs popped up with MEAU and The Atomic Orchestra. She joined Bazart at Pukkelpop back in 2023, but this time Mathieu Terryn took over the collab bingo, joining RONKER and De Ideale Wereld. In between, he even managed to squeeze in a set with his own band, Bazart, where a full marching band casually joined the party too.

SURPRISE, SURPRISE

Boulevard Bizar was a mile of smiles. We took care of the extra mile. Breakfast in an empty Marquee? Done. A birthday cake for thirty Pukkelpoppers? Sure thing. Birthdays, engagements, wedding anniversaries: you asked, we delivered. Personal butler? Check. Room service at the campsite? Picnic basket straight to your tent.

Possibly the best surprise of the weekend: a wallet handed in at Lost & Found with all €360 still inside. Faith in the next generation: restored.

Which brings us nicely to The Future Is Yours. Thousands of Pukkelpoppers had their picture taken and became part of a 30-metre-wide, 6-metre-high photo wall. Pukkelpop looked itself straight in the eye. 

And that’s almost a wrap on Pukkelpop 2026. Four days of music, unexpected encounters, big crowds and even bigger stories. Soon the last Pukkelpopper will be heading home, the final note will have been played and the festival grounds can finally catch their breath.

So can we.
See you next year!
19-22 aug 2027