Grimbergen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Voodoo Village festival (Sept 12–14, 2025) celebrates its 10th year in Grimbergen. Despite eco-efforts with Ecofest, Natuurpunt’s Tom Ameye urges relocation due to environmental damage in ‘s Gravenbos, a Natura 2000 site.
As VRT News reported, the popular dance music festival, Voodoo Village in Grimbergen, a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium, is gearing up for its 10th-anniversary celebration in September 2025.
Since 2017, the festival has taken place in the mystical woods near the Gravenkasteel in Humbeek (Grimbergen). In celebration of this anniversary, the organisers have introduced an extended version, with an additional day of celebration, from the 12th to the 14th of September, 2025.
Voodoo Village is similarly dedicated to sustainability and collaborates with Ecofest in terms of implementing waste reduction initiatives and supporting ecological transport choices. Furthermore, these initiatives have been duly noted and appreciated by organisations in the conservation field, like Natuurpunt, who value the festival’s commitment to reducing its impact on the environment.
“For us, the festival certainly does not have to cease to exist, but it should move to a place where the damage to nature is less.”
Tom Ameye from Nature Point Grimbergen
What are the environmental concerns about the Voodoo village in Grimbergen?
The dance music festival Voodoo Village is facing environmental concerns despite its sustainability efforts. Natuurpunt has expressed worries that the festival is becoming too large for its location. The 2024 event drew approximately 30,000 attendees, some of whom ventured outside designated areas, causing damage to protected forest paths and sensitive natural zones.
They mentioned that there were also instances of smoking, which raised fire safety concerns, and the loud music and lighting installations disrupted the local ecosystem, affecting wildlife. While the festival aims to balance celebration with environmental responsibility, questions have arisen about whether it can continue to operate responsibly in such a sensitive natural environment.
Natuurpunt’s Tom Ameye says the Voodoo Village location in the ‘s Gravenbos forest isn’t right for such a big event because the area is very sensitive. A big part of the forest is a protected Natura 2000 site, part of a European network to protect rare animals and plants.
The forest in Grimbergen is part of a bigger area with 19 protected zones in Flanders. Ameye says many animals need peace, quiet, and darkness to survive, especially in early autumn. For example, bats in the forest are getting ready for winter in September. The loud music and bright lights from the festival bother them, which could hurt them.
Tom Ameye of Natuurpunt explains that birds, such as the black woodpecker that makes its home in the forest, are also negatively impacted by the festival’s noise and activity. Furthermore, the damage extends to the plant life in the area.
He mentioned that a specific example is the Giant Horsetail, a rare plant that only grows in that specific location in Grimbergen. This plant was damaged during a previous festival. Despite these concerns, Natuurpunt is not calling for the complete cancellation of Voodoo Village.
Ameye acknowledges that the festival has cultural value, but he is urging the organisers to find a new location. This new site would still be within Grimbergen, but it should be somewhere that doesn’t overlap with sensitive natural areas. The main goal, he emphasises, is not to silence the music, but to ensure that the festival can coexist peacefully with the environment.
“Around the airport, for example,”
Ameye added.
“There is also a lot of open space there, and it is a cool place. But of course, it is up to the municipality itself to choose a better location. The provincial government can also help with that.”
