Belgium's Music Scene Turns Green

The amount of festivals hosted in Belgium has earned it the reputation of being the "home of festivals".

From sprawling electronic stages to massive rock gatherings and UNESCO-recognized carnivals, the country offers a stacked, diverse event calendar year-round.

Its summer agenda is the most packed however, from big bands at Rock Werchter, massive DJ sets at Tomorrowland, and folk music in Dranouter.

This summer's lineup looks especially green with artists from the Emerald Isle travelling over to perform.

Have a look at what's on and where below:

The annual music festival held in the village of Werchter, near Leuven, Belgium, since 1976 is back, and possibly the most Irish it has ever been. Check out the Irish artists performing all weekend below:

Basht - Basht are one of Ireland's most exciting rising rock bands, praised by Hot Press as "one of the most exciting young rock bands to emerge in Ireland in aeons." Originally from Rathmines, Dublin, the four lads started off by playing small, intimate gigs throughout the city, attempting to find their sound. They play the Slope stage on the 2 July.

Cardinals - Championed by Grian Chatten, frontman of Fontaines D.C. as "one of my favourite new bands", the band delivers melancholic indie rock with a warm heart. Distinctive, and characteristically Irish, is the central role of the accordion. 3 July on the Slope stage.

Kingfishr - Kingfishr are Limerick natives who formed in 2022. Since then, they have released their debut album Halcyon in 2025, which reached No. 1 in Ireland. Main stage on the 3 July.

Kneecap - Irish rap trio from Belfast, Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí, take the stage on 4 July. The group are touring after delivering a savage second album last month.

CMAT - The International Pop Star of Ireland, our very own Dunboyne Diana takes the stage on 4 July and will no doubt deliver one of the weekend's most lively and memorable performances.

Florence Road - Florence Road is a band that was born in Bray, County Wicklow in 2019. The Irish rockers first gained popularity posting covers on TikTok. But with a debut EP and an opening slot for Olivia Rodrigo, they’re making a name for themselves. Catch them on 4 July.

Darren Kiely - Hailing from Co. Cork, Ireland, Darren Kiely's folk-infused pop sound originates from his inherited love of traditional Irish music, intertwined with modern influences such as The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, and Noah Kahan. He plays the Barn on 5 July.

NewDad - The band hails from Galway and musically, the trio situate themselves in the tradition of dreamy indie and shoegaze pioneered by The Cure and Slowdive. They play 5 July.

Catch Van and his exceptional band live on 7 July at Gent Jazz for an unforgettable performance.

Earlier this year, Van’s latest album Remembering Now entered the UK top 20, featuring the uplifting track Down To Joy - as heard in Kenneth Branagh’s Oscar-winning film Belfast (2021).

This year, the Irish take over Festival Dranouter, the Belgian folk music festival.

From the 7 to 9 August Irish artists MOXIE, The Deadlians, Junior Brother, Huartan, Zoé Basha, Ríoghnach Connolly, The Wran, Ispíní na hÉireann, will all take the stage in Dranouter.

The Dranouter Festival was born in 1975 in the Belgian village of Dranouter, as a small event with only eight bands and about 300 attendees. Over the years, the festival grew to become one of Belgium’s most important folk and mestizo music events. In 2024, it celebrated its 50th anniversary with exhibitions and a special program.

Don't miss out on the chance to catch great Irish music in the Belgian countryside.

Tickets on sale below:

If you haven't had your fill of Irish acts at festivals by late August then Pukkelpop has you covered.

Pukkelpop is one of Europe's largest and most eclectic annual alternative music festivals, held every August in Kiewit, just outside Hasselt, Belgium. Spanning 4 days, it features over 200 acts across eight stages, mixing rock, indie, electronic, hip-hop, and pop music.

The Irish artists performing:

Jazzy - DJ, producer, and singer Jazzy has been on a meteoric rise in recent years. Jazzy became the first Irish female artist to have a number one on Spotify. Her high-energy productions marry her twin loves of house music and R&B to create an authentically original sound. 21 August.

Kettama - For the past few years, KETTAMA is a name that has continued to burn hot on the tips of tongues. Real name Evan Campbell, the Galway born, London based artist has spent the best part of the last decade bringing the sounds of his native ‘G-Town’ to the world, embarking on a seemingly ever-evolving, never-ending sonic pilgrimage in the process. From his humble roots in the Irish electronic underground scene, to spreading his wings in the UK and across Europe, KETTAMA now undertakes an unrelenting worldwide touring schedule, most recently with a standout tour across North America, Canada and South America.

Dove Ellis - Taking the stage on 22 August Irish singer-songwriter Dove Ellis is playing live with an all-star ensemble. The budding songster released his debut album ‘Blizzard’ at the end of last year. Playing tunes new and old, come and catch the live show now.

Gurriers - The end of the first quarter of the 21st century has passed and our planet precariously teeters from one crisis to the next. Rather than passively sit back and watch, the high-energy Irish guitar quintet Gurriers are firing on all cylinders and confronting the ills of the modern world with their debut album, Come and See, a truly thrilling collection of razor-sharp progressive punk songs. They also perform on 22 August.

Sprints - Having underlined their status as one of Ireland’s most exciting breakthrough bands with their universally-acclaimed 2024 debut ‘Letter To Self’, now vocalist and guitarist Karla Chubb, bassist Sam McCann, drummer Jack Callan and new guitarist Zac Stephenson are returning for their second act as an evolved entity: stronger, sharper and fully assured. They perform 23 August.

The Waterboys are bringing their Fisherman’s Blues Revue to Belgium, a unique tribute to the legendary Fisherman’s Blues era of the late 1980s.

For this exclusive tour, Mike Scott reunites his band with iconic violinist Steve Wickham, and the group is joined by American singer-songwriter Steve Earle, who will perform his own songs as a full band member and add vocals, guitar and mandolin to Waterboys classics. “I only ever wanted to play in three bands: The Rolling Stones, NRBQ and The Waterboys,” says Earle.

The show follows shortly after the release of ATLANTIC RAIN (17 July 2026), a three-part collection of previously unreleased recordings from the Fisherman’s Blues sessions. According to Mike Scott, this tour promises “a return to a period in the band’s history, with an eight-piece line-up and performances that will rank among the best Waterboys shows ever.”