The open-air events organised around Brussels by the Hangar collective are coming under increasing scrutiny. Critics say the city is giving away too much of its public space to the collective, at the expense of residents and other event organisers, affecting wildlife and disrupting public transport.
Last weekend, Hangar organised its latest events on Poelaertplein: a party featuring DJ Solomun on Saturday followed by a free event to mark Car-Free Sunday. The collective has been granted permission to hold events at numerous venues across Brussels, including the Ter Kamerenbos, Jubelpark, the Beurs, Grote Markt and Atomium.
Artists such as Tiësto, Lost Frequencies, Major Lazer and Tale of Us have performed at the organisation’s events with tickets costing around €50 to €70.
Prime locations
For last weekend’s party on Poelaertplein, tram 93 was suspended: on Saturday from 14.00 and on Sunday from 10.50. The event in the Terkamerenbos in February, which attracted 10,000 visitors, also drew criticism, as it took place in a Natura 2000 area with a rich variety of wildlife.
According to the urban movement ARAU, Brussels too often grants Hangar access to public space for large events. Tom Raoul of nightclub C12 says that Hangar holds “an extremely dominant position” in Brussels and has access “to prime locations in Brussels for open-air events”, enabling it to charge higher prices than other organisers.
Obstacle course
Green opposition councillor Lotte Stoops is also critical. She called the weekend’s events “yet another megalomaniacal commercial open-air party” preventing trams from running run for two days between Kruidtuin and Louiza, and which, she claims, turned Poelaertplein into “an obstacle course” for people with reduced mobility and pushchairs.
Piknik Elektronik, another organiser of open-air events in Brussels, addressed DJ Solomun directly: “Solomun, stop turning culture into a marketing machine. Brussels’ public spaces are not for sale.”
The organiser says it has been denied a permit to host an event on Poelaertplein for the second year running, on the grounds that there are too many events. It is planning a protest at the site on Saturday from 16.00.
Economic boost
Mayor Philippe Close of francophone socialist party PS says that the same basic procedure applies to every event, and that it is not possible to treat an event with a few hundred to 2,000 people in the same way as a mass event with more than 10,000 visitors and international DJs.
Major events attract visitors from home and abroad and generate business for cafés, restaurants, shops and hotels. Close also highlights the difficult situation facing Brussels’ nightlife sector and says the city actively supports it.
“It is somewhat paradoxical to criticise one of the few local authorities that has chosen to provide concrete support to the sector and to offer space to all kinds of collectives,” he said.