Some festivals fade away, others come back louder.
Rock Affligem is one of those stories. Once a small local event with a big heart, it disappeared for over a decade before being brought back to life by two hometown heroes: Mattias and Christof.
Driven by pure passion and local pride, they rebuilt Rock Affligem into a festival that feels both nostalgic and new, blending Belgian talent, metal energy, and community spirit.
We sat down with Mattias, the co-founder behind the revival, to talk about how a backyard party turned into one of Belgium’s most exciting comeback stories.

For those who don’t know you yet, who is Mattias, and how did you become involved with Rock Affligem?
My name is Mattias, and I’m one of the co-founders behind the revival of Rock Affligem.
I was born and raised in Affligem and have always been a true fan of the festival.
When the opportunity came to bring Rock Affligem back to life, I didn’t hesitate for a second — it felt like bringing a piece of local history back to our community.

Rock Affligem has become a household name in the region. How did the festival start, and how has it evolved over the years?
Rock Affligem was founded in 1988 and took place every year during the last weekend of May until its final edition in 2009. In 2021, Christof Desmet and I brought Rock Affligem back to the festival scene as a recognized name once again. It has evolved from a big garden party into a full-fledged festival that has hosted both national and international acts — some of which are still hit-makers today.
Since 2022, we’ve chosen to organize the festival during the Ascension weekend, so our next edition will take place on May 15–16, 2026.

How would you describe the atmosphere of Rock Affligem to someone who has never attended before?
Rock Affligem aims to create an atmosphere that’s both unique and accessible. Our lineup includes artists from various genres and musical eras, appealing to a wide audience. Beyond the experience itself, we also focus on giving visitors a sense of peace and enjoyment. When people come to Rock Affligem, they should feel carefree and relaxed.

What are the biggest challenges in organizing a festival of this scale?
The main challenges we face include:
• Booking bands that are affordable yet strong enough to attract our target audience.
• Reducing costs without compromising quality.
• Keeping up with the changing expectations and needs of visitors.
• Recruiting and motivating enough volunteers.
• Retaining sponsors and partners and keeping them satisfied.

How important are volunteers to Rock Affligem?
Without volunteers, there is no festival. Around 50% of our volunteers come from local associations, who are compensated for their shifts. These shifts are essential to keep the festival running. Thanks to open communication and clear agreements, these associations are always eager to return each year, which gives us confidence that our approach works well.

Mattias Rock Affligem - Without volunteers, there is no festival.

How do you manage to attract enough volunteers year after year?
We try to make volunteering fun and rewarding. Many volunteers are positioned so they can still see the stage, the music, and the artists, we want it to feel more like a team-building activity than a job. Bringing fun back into volunteering is key.
Can volunteers drink alcohol during their shift? Yes, they can, it’s free but at their own responsibility. After four editions, we’ve only had one alcohol-related issue, which was handled easily without any negative consequences for the festival.

What are the main challenges in coordinating such a large group of volunteers?
The biggest challenges are last-minute cancellations and planning shifts based on previous years’ occupancy rates. When an association cancels last-minute, they usually find replacements internally, that’s part of their agreement. Individual cancellations are managed by rearranging shifts internally.
We base our volunteer planning on the number of visitors from the previous edition. This year, attendance shifted between Friday and Saturday, which caused a slight shortage on one day and extra coverage on the other, but that’s part of the game and hard to predict.

Accreditation is often a stressful moment at festivals. How do you handle this at Rock Affligem?
By organizing a separate entry for volunteers through the main entrance and using Eventication’s ticketing/accreditation module, we’ve gained much better insight into volunteer attendance and shift coverage. Before the festival starts, we can already see what percentage of shifts are filled and how many people are expected per shift. This helps our team leads organize themselves and brief volunteers more effectively.

Before the festival starts, we can already see what percentage of shifts are filled and how many people are expected per shift.

What role does Eventication play in streamlining your volunteer management and accreditation processes?
Eventication provides oversight and control, and that takes a huge weight off our shoulders during the most stressful period. No more Excel sheets, no more volunteers asking where to find information… Eventication solves that.
And if any issue arises on-site, you can always count on their project manager to help resolve it quickly. The great thing about Eventication is that they truly understand the festival world, they have real hands-on experience with event organization.

What is one key lesson your team has learned that you would like to share with other organizers?
Start with the basics. Don’t try to do everything at once. Grow gradually, focus on quality over quantity. Build a strong foundation first, then take more risks once you’re stable. Avoid getting caught in a negative spiral by overreaching too early.
Just like everything, experience takes time. Eventication is a tool with massive growth potential, both now and in the future. You don’t have to “believe” in it, just use it, and you’ll quickly see that as your festival grows, you can’t imagine working without it. In this industry, Eventication is one of the few true certainties. Invest in certainties.

What are you personally most looking forward to at the next edition of Rock Affligem?
Our next edition will mark our 5-year anniversary, and we’re aiming for steady, sustainable growth. Personally, I hope to maintain financial stability.
I’m especially looking forward to Friday’s lineup, it’s going to be great. We aim to become Belgium’s first mid-sized metal festival (between 1,000 and 5,000 visitors), focusing primarily on Belgian talent, though there’s a chance an international headliner might join us in the future.
My favorite Belgian band right now is Psychonaut, and my favorite international discovery is LANDMVRKS. Who knows, maybe we’ll see them on the Rock Affligem stage someday.

We aim to become Belgium’s first mid-sized metal festival

More info about Rock Affligem:
15 - 16 May 2026
www.rockaffligem.be