Beringen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Beringen’s municipal government has made the decision to cease hosting the Paal op Stelten festival.
The Beringen municipal government decided to terminate their annual Paal op Stelten festival management after 27 years.
King Baudouin Park’s managerial expenses rose steeply, and local resident participation waned so much that the city decided to stop hosting the Paal op Stelet festival yearly. Alderman Ornella Schreurs reported that Beringen natives made up only 25% of the festival audience, which made the traditional operation unsustainable.
“The festival was once intended as a festive meeting place for the residents of Paal and Beringen,”
Says Ornella Schreurs, alderman of Visit Beringen.
“But in recent years the turnout has not been great and especially: we saw that only 25 percent of the visitors came from Beringen itself. That amounts to less than 25 percent of all tickets.”
In 2021, the festival moved from the center of Paal to the former football grounds of Flandria Paal, outside the center. This was met with displeasure from local traders and the middle class.
“The signal from the middle class quickly came that they were not happy with the move. They wanted a nice gathering in the center of the sub-municipality again,”
The alderman explains.
“The festival has been loss-making in recent years. Attendance was reasonable, but not enough to cover the high organisational costs. We have therefore evaluated the festival very critically and came to the conclusion that it would be better not to organise it anymore,”
Says Schreurs.
“We are now thinking about a new event together with the middle class. We want to return to the basis from which Paal op Stelten originated, namely bringing the people of Beringen together. We see this primarily as an opportunity to give our event framework a new direction,”
The alderman adds.
Meanwhile, the middle class is waiting for the alternative event.
“It’s a shame that Paal op Stelten is being cancelled,”
Says Gerry Janssens of Bar Wies.
“But at the same time, it’s also a great opportunity to organize another event or village festival in Paal. We had already heard rumours, but were not contacted by the city in advance. But of course we are always prepared to think along and work on a new event.”
What is the history of Paal op Stelten’s cancellation?
The Paal op Stelten festival, initiated in 1998, emerged as an initial community event located within the Belgian municipality of Beringen and its sub-area known as Paal. The festival expanded during its first 27 years to become a significant event with thousands of annual visitors and international performing acts. The growth of the festival created difficulties with logistics as it required several changes of location. In 2021, the festival organisers chose to relocate to the former Flandria Paal football grounds despite facing criticism from regional merchants who wanted a more central venue.
The financial situation at the festival worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic as expenses grew while attendance decreased from residents in the local area. Attending the event revealed that Beringen residents comprised just 25% of the total crowd, while the rest came from elsewhere. This data reflected minimal involvement from local citizens. These difficulties, combined with increasing financial losses, led authorities to cancel the festival.
