{"id":728362,"date":"2026-05-19T22:05:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T19:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/horst-festival-is-belgiums-dance-music-laboratory\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T22:05:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T19:05:12","slug":"horst-festival-is-belgiums-dance-music-laboratory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/horst-festival-is-belgiums-dance-music-laboratory\/","title":{"rendered":"HORST Festival is Belgium\u2019s dance music laboratory"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a23a29cc5a03\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a23a29cc5a03\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/horst-festival-is-belgiums-dance-music-laboratory\/#Tantalizing_architecture_and_a_real_underground_lineup_create_an_event_for_the_senses\" >Tantalizing architecture and a real underground lineup create an event for the senses.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"deck\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tantalizing_architecture_and_a_real_underground_lineup_create_an_event_for_the_senses\"><\/span>Tantalizing architecture and a real underground lineup create an event for the senses.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"content_blocks\">\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-280588\" class=\"content_block breaker triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left image\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_2_ctqy3t\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_2_ctqy3t\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_2_ctqy3t\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_2_ctqy3t\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_2_ctqy3t\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_2_ctqy3t\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_2_ctqy3t\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_2_ctqy3t\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_2_ctqy3t\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_2_ctqy3t\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_2_ctqy3t\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"HORST Festival is Belgium\u2019s dance music laboratory\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"img_caption\"><\/p>\n<p>  <span class=\"credit\"><\/p>\n<p>      Elias Derboven<\/p>\n<p>  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-280577\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>\n            Each of the nine stages at <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_new\" href=\"https:\/\/www.horstartsandmusic.com\/festival\">HORST Arts and Music Festival<\/a> in Vilvoorde, Belgium, <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ears to be premised on a question.\n          <\/p>\n<p>\n            <i>What happens when you plop an actual pit in the middle of a large dance floor<\/i>, the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_new\" href=\"https:\/\/www.horstartsandmusic.com\/arts\/atelier-fanelsa-with-tum-bioregional-design-lab\">Weaving Weeds stage<\/a> seems to ask. It turns a crowd into <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_new\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/DYZacE5op-V\/\">a swirling cauldron of dance<\/a> \u2014 especially when British-born, Berlin-based synth philosopher <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_new\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/barkersounds\/\">Barker<\/a> is weaving his own sonic yarn and hypnotizing the crowd into a state of bleary-eyed revelry.\n          <\/p>\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            The Le Soleil Rouge stage, which greets festival goers with a huge red circle that reflects the bodies dancing beside it, asks how the presence of a mirror changes one\u2019s experience of dancing. On Friday, as I moved to recent FADER Mix alum Jump Source\u2019s bouncy HORST set, it occurred to me that the reflection\u2019s blurry quality seemed more an invitation to forget oneself in its red haze than to stare at my reflection. \n          <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-280593\" class=\"content_block breaker triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left image\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_8_gzzaez\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_8_gzzaez\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_8_gzzaez\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_8_gzzaez\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_8_gzzaez\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_8_gzzaez\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_8_gzzaez\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_8_gzzaez\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_8_gzzaez\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_8_gzzaez\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_8_gzzaez\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"HORST Festival is Belgium\u2019s dance music laboratory\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"img_caption\"><\/p>\n<p>  <span class=\"credit\"><\/p>\n<p>      Elias Derboven<\/p>\n<p>  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-280578\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>\n            The nine stages, each so different and populated so closely together in Asiat Park\u2019s six-acre campus, give the entire festival experience a kaleidoscopic feeling. One can go from the dark misty club spaces of the Strato or Circus stages, to the wraparound light display of the Ring stage, to the outdoor ritualism of the newly built and designed HoRAbaixa stage, built around a wooden tower, all in the same surreal hour. Sets at HORST range from the brain-tingling and abstract (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_new\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ehuamusic\/\">Ehua<\/a>) to the hard-edged and thumping (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_new\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/andygarvey\/\">Andy Garvey<\/a>), mirroring the surrounding environment\u2019s penchant for variety.\n          <\/p>\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            HORST Festival, located a short drive from Brussels, has been running since 2014 (longtime attendees are eager to tell me of the \u201ccastle\u201d where it started). Since 2019, it\u2019s taken place at Asiat Park, a former military base that\u2019s now home to year-round programming from HORST who also works with local tenants and community members to utilize spaces and structures within the Park. The Festival is the apex of HORST\u2019s activity, hosting around <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_new\" href=\"https:\/\/www.horstartsandmusic.com\/neighbours\">12,000 visitors<\/a> each day.\n          <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-280589\" class=\"content_block diptych triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper half_gutter_right gutter_btm\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_760,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_4_xx4hhq\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_4_xx4hhq\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_4_xx4hhq\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_4_xx4hhq\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_4_xx4hhq\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_4_xx4hhq\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_4_xx4hhq\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_4_xx4hhq\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_4_xx4hhq\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_4_xx4hhq\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_4_xx4hhq\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 50vw\" alt=\"HORST Festival is Belgium\u2019s dance music laboratory\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"img_caption\"><\/p>\n<p>  <span class=\"credit\"><\/p>\n<p>      Angelina Nikolayeva<\/p>\n<p>  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper half_gutter_left\" style=\"\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_760,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_7_lbjdqh\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_7_lbjdqh\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_7_lbjdqh\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_7_lbjdqh\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_7_lbjdqh\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_7_lbjdqh\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_7_lbjdqh\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_7_lbjdqh\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_7_lbjdqh\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_7_lbjdqh\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_7_lbjdqh\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 50vw\" alt=\"HORST Festival is Belgium\u2019s dance music laboratory\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"img_caption\"><\/p>\n<p>  <span class=\"credit\"><\/p>\n<p>      Angelina Nikolayeva<\/p>\n<p>  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-280580\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>\n            Rooted in the local Belgian scene, HORST Festival has become an expo for both musical design and performance-based experimentation since its inception. Unlike other festivals, which foreground big-name bookings to attract festivalgoers, HORST prioritizes world building above all, working with a variety of global design firms \u2014 like the Paris and Zurich-based architecture company BRUTHER that designed the Le Soleil Rouge stage \u2014 collectives, institutions, and artists to make Asiat Park a true sensorial ecosystem.\n          <\/p>\n<p>\n            Its environment-focused ethos creates a tantalizing vision of what a festival can (and, in my opinion, should) be: not just a \u201cbang for your buck\u201d chance to catch as many of your favorite acts at once, but a world (or worlds) unto itself, a chance to ruminate in something different for three days of hypnotic dancing. Evidence of the audience\u2019s faith in the experience was made clear in the rush to buy tickets this year; all but some Thursday tickets to HORST Festival sold out ahead of the lineup announcement. Eventually, the entire festival sold out: the first time since HORST began.\n          <\/p>\n<p>\n            HORST\u2019s architectural focus doesn\u2019t mean that the festival\u2019s musical curation is an afterthought, though. This year\u2019s edition featured notable names from the global electronic scene, including the trumpeting maestro <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_new\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/space_tak\/?hl=en\">Takuya Nakamura<\/a>, London stalwart selector <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_new\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/tasha_neighbourhood\/\">Tasha<\/a>, rising Brooklyn-based selector <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_new\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/akua_b_\/\">Akua<\/a>, Dan Snaith\u2019s (Caribou) dance oriented project <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_new\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/cariboumusic\/?hl=en\">Daphni<\/a>, and L.A.-born vinyl maestro and FADER Mix alum 1morning. Remarkably, nearly half of the bookings were made up of local Belgian artists this year, meaning out-of-town visitors found themselves in a local-scene crash course.\n          <\/p>\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-280590\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_3_vukuce\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_3_vukuce\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_3_vukuce\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_3_vukuce\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_3_vukuce\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_3_vukuce\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_3_vukuce\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_3_vukuce\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_3_vukuce\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_3_vukuce\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Friday_15.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_3_vukuce\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 640px\" alt=\"HORST Festival is Belgium\u2019s dance music laboratory\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"img_caption\"><\/p>\n<p>  <span class=\"credit\"><\/p>\n<p>      Angelina Nikolayeva<\/p>\n<p>  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-280591\" class=\"content_block breaker triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left image\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_5_mes2uo\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_5_mes2uo\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_5_mes2uo\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_5_mes2uo\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_5_mes2uo\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_5_mes2uo\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_5_mes2uo\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_5_mes2uo\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_5_mes2uo\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_5_mes2uo\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_5_mes2uo\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"HORST Festival is Belgium\u2019s dance music laboratory\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"img_caption\"><\/p>\n<p>  <span class=\"credit\"><\/p>\n<p>      Elias Derboven<\/p>\n<p>  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-280581\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>\n            \u201cA lot of my friends who were booked this year were extremely honored and shocked,\u201d Antonia Torfs-Leibman, an anthropologist and resident of Brussels\u2019s local Kiosk Radio told me, referring to their friend Wife Mandala. \u201cHe thought it was a scam, because he thought he couldn\u2019t be booked for HORST, being in the scene for over 10 years and now finally being recognized.\u201d\n          <\/p>\n<p>\n            Torfs-Leibman added that she often sees the people who run Horst at the bar in her neighborhood on weekends. The festival\u2019s decision to book so much local talent is a chance for it to prove that its environment and reputation is enough to attract faraway festivalgoers and have them willing to encounter something new.\n          <\/p>\n<p>\n            As I chatted with local Belgian attendees, many of whom were longtime HORST festivalgoers, I noticed an echo between the festival\u2019s multiplicity, its variety of sounds and worlds, and the surrounding country and city itself. \n          <\/p>\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-280592\" class=\"content_block breaker triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left image\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Yan_Yango_2_rrgb3b\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Yan_Yango_2_rrgb3b\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Yan_Yango_2_rrgb3b\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Yan_Yango_2_rrgb3b\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Yan_Yango_2_rrgb3b\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Yan_Yango_2_rrgb3b\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Yan_Yango_2_rrgb3b\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Yan_Yango_2_rrgb3b\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Yan_Yango_2_rrgb3b\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Yan_Yango_2_rrgb3b\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Yan_Yango_2_rrgb3b\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"HORST Festival is Belgium\u2019s dance music laboratory\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"img_caption\"><\/p>\n<p>  <span class=\"credit\"><\/p>\n<p>      Yan Yango<\/p>\n<p>  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-280594\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_2_facb5w\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_2_facb5w\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_2_facb5w\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_2_facb5w\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_2_facb5w\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_2_facb5w\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_2_facb5w\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_2_facb5w\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_2_facb5w\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_2_facb5w\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Horst_Festival_2026_Thursday_14.05_CREDIT_Angelina_Nikolayeva_2_facb5w\/horst-festival-belgium-review.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 640px\" alt=\"HORST Festival is Belgium\u2019s dance music laboratory\"><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-280582\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>\n            Brussels is at once the capital of the European Union, a hub for diplomacy and business, and the center of a trilingual country. It\u2019s also a quick train ride away from other European cultural epicenters like Paris, London, and Berlin, its storied techno scene still looming. And in addition to its longtime residents, it\u2019s populated by a large migrant and asylum-seeker community from North Africa and the Middle East and European and foreign artists, who come in and out, possibly attracted by Belgium&#8217;s relatively generous artist subsidies.\n          <\/p>\n<p>\n            In a musical context, this mishmash of peoples has resulted in few large institutional clubs and a unique local scene powered by \u201csmall collectives in unusual or temporary locations,\u201d DJ AliA said. \u201cThere\u2019s still a need for more permanent small venues, but they also bring a raw creativity to the scene.\u201d To him, this is what gives Brussels its distinct character.\n          <\/p>\n<p>\n            One feels a rawness in HORST\u2019s overgrown, DIY, yet still sprawling production, which, with a bevy of volunteers running much of it, still manages to encompass and create so many worlds at once. It&#8217;s rare for such simultaneity to flow in such a euphoric fashion, where a constant state of shifting feels enlivening rather than disorienting. It&#8217;s that energy that made HORST among the most exciting and engrossing festival experiences I\u2019ve ever had.\n          <\/p>\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"author\">\n    <span><br \/>\n      By <span class=\"credit_name\">Tobias Hess<\/span><br \/>\n  <\/span><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thefader.com\/2026\/05\/19\/horst-festival-belgium-review\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tantalizing architecture and a real underground lineup create an event for the senses. Elias Derboven Each of the nine stages at HORST Arts and Music Festival in Vilvoorde, Belgium, appears to be premised on a question. What happens when you plop an actual pit in the middle of a large dance floor, the Weaving Weeds&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":728363,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/c_limit,w_1024\/c_crop,h_533,w_1024,x_0,y_526,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_5_kfi9bb\/Horst_Festival_2026_Saturday_16.05_CREDIT_Elias_Derboven_5_kfi9bb.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[87514,162307],"class_list":["post-728362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-electronic","tag-horst-festival"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=728362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728362\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/728363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=728362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=728362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=728362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}