The 100% Retro Music Festival will take place in Bobbejaanland tomorrow, August 20th. A day before the start of the event, people who had purchased a ticket received an email. “I bought six tickets on Friday, and three hours later the festival was cancelled.”
Photo: RR
“Despite promising sales results in the lead-up to Poppeganland’s 100% Retro Festival, the line cannot be continued due to the current economic situation,” the organizers say in an email. “In consultation with various partners, it has been decided to move the event to Sunday, August 20, 2023. Tickets remain valid for the new date.”
Called Bobbejaanland Theme Park’s retro festival yesterday, it’s already had three editions, but ticket sales have apparently been disappointing this year. On August 15, Retro’s Facebook page 100% indicated that everything would go ahead as planned on August 20.
Photo: RR
The music festival promised artists from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, and this year had thirty acts on the bill, including The Fortunes, The Dinky Toys, Helmut Lotti, Londonbeat, UDO, The Trammps, Frans Bauer, Mama’s Jasje, Johnny Logan, 2 Unlimited Sister and Spirit.
Yesterday Land
Yesterday’s Land, the predecessor to 100% Retro, has run into trouble. Bankruptcy proceedings have commenced against Entertainment Partners Belgium, the company behind it. According to Hugo Foets of Entertainment Partners, an opposition was filed against this, it was a matter of late payment and that will be “corrected”. Foets ran the once successful King Entertainment – with Clouseau and Natalia in the stable, among others – but that had to close in 2015.
Bredene municipality stopped working with Foets in 2017 due to suppliers not being paid when organizing the Ibiza @ the Beach Summer Festival.
In 2019, during the third edition of Saturdayland, which attracted 11,000 visitors to Bobbejaanland, all was not well: the measures promised against the heat left something to be desired, there were complaints about the difficulty in finding sanitary facilities and the closure of Sister Sledge that could only play Hit because of the delay in the program.
At the beginning of July this year, it was announced that Yesterday will now be called 100% Retro Festival.
Abnormal
Artist director Elijah Byers had two of his stars on the bill for the canceled festival with Helmut Luti and Laura Lynn: “We also only have this morning (Friday morning, Mr. Dr.) I received an email saying that 100% Retro Festival has been cancelled. “
According to Byers, it is not customary to announce that everything is canceled only the day before the festival begins. She does not believe that is possible and cannot guarantee that the same artists will return to the festival next year.
Recovery
Agnes Tillmans from Maasmechelen was shocked when she read the email about the cancellation. I bought six more tickets on Friday morning for €486. Three hours later they tell us the festival is cancelled, I’m angry and I want my money back’, Agnes Mort.
“The oversupply and free festivals are playing tricks on us,” says organizer Hugo Voets. “It wouldn’t be profitable to hold the festival.”
But tickets are still on sale on Friday morning? ‘Could be.’ It was not decided to move the festival until late Thursday evening, after consultations with sponsors and partners. But those who have tickets can keep them for next year or get their money back, Foets promises.
