Health and safety

The Red Cross is ready for small and large concerns. The first aid stations are clearly indicated. The MUG team from UZ Leuven is also on hand.

Under the umbrella of 'We Care A Lot', Extrema Outdoor, Graspop Metal Meeting, Rock Werchter, Tomorrowland, Festival Dranouter and Pukkelpop joined forces in 2023 with a clear commitment: to ensure that festivals run as healthily and safely as possible.

We aim for our festivals to be a place where everyone should feel safe, welcome and comfortable. A place where no one is exposed to discrimination, criticism or harassment. Everyone should be able to be themselves, and all are welcome, regardless of sex, gender, orientation, culture, religion, ethnicity or disability. We are committed to ensuring that our festivals and concerts are healthy and safe for everyone. Read more about the initiative on wecarealot.be.

Our employees are trained, they stay alert to any problems and respond appropriately as needed. We have specialists in various fields on hand and festivalgoers can speak to a confidential counseler if they wish. The We Care A Lot hotline is available 24/7 during the festival. A WhatsApp message to +32 (0)478 51 15 79 is a direct line to quick help. You can also contact our We Care A Lot employees via the Werchter Boutique app.

Visit the We Care A Lot prevention stand. You will find the stand near North West Walls. Various wellbeing and health themes are highlighted. Special attention is paid to transgressive behaviour: involving others, distracting, isolating, addressing, staying present.

If you are breastfeeding and would like to pump your milk on the festival site, you can do so in a special tent near North West Walls.

In The Milk Factory you'll find all the necessary facilities to pump discreetly, to clean your pump afterwards and to safely store your material. The pumped milk can be stored in the fridge of the pump bar until the end of the festival day. Bring your own: pump, bags, cooling elements, bottles, etc.

In 2025, special attention will be paid to responsible alcohol consumption. Free breath tests from Catch Your Breath make responsible partying visible, measurable and discussable. Catch your Breath is an awareness campaign that focuses on preventing drunk driving and increasing awareness of alcohol consumption. The campaign is an initiative of a collective consisting of Fline, Vinum Et Spiritus, the Emilie Leus foundation and Flow in collaboration with We Care A Lot.

The Catch Your Breath x Fline booth, located next to the We Care A Lot stand, is equipped with eight breath terminals. Festival-goers are encouraged to test themselves regularly and to be more aware of their alcohol consumption. Not only at the end of the day, but also in between, so that they can adjust their consumption behavior in time or consider alternatives to get home safely. 'Catch your Breath' offers visitors a practical tool to make responsible choices, without sacrificing their festival experience or freedom. One breath away from a better choice. Not a finger pointing, but an invitation to self-reflection and moderate consumption.

Alcoholic drinks may not be served, offered or sold to young people under the age of 16. That is the law and it is respected in Werchter. If you are over 16, please know that you are not allowed to offer alcoholic drinks to people under the age of 16. For drinks containing more than 1.2% distilled alcohol (e.g. cocktails, gin and tonic, etc.) the limit is 18 years.

Crowd surfing is banned at Werchter, as it is at all the big festivals in Europe. It means that the people at the front can enjoy everything that’s happening on stage without constantly having to protect themselves. It is also much safer and much more pleasant for all.

Constructions are set up near the stage in order to increase visitor comfort and safety. Safety corridors consist of solid constructions with freestanding barriers which, in the event of an emergency situation, enable safety and first-aid staff to carry out interventions at a significant distance from the stage. These corridors absorb part of the forward and sidelong crowd pressure. For security reasons, it is forbidden to access the front zone (Golden Circle) with a wheelchair. Folding chairs are not allowed in the Golden Circle zone either.

Solid flooring is installed in front of the Main Stage. Huge video screens are located on both sides of the Main Stage, allowing people standing farther from the stage to fully enjoy what is going on on stage.

Important: performances may contain flashing lights and strobe effects which may affect viewers who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy.

Use and abuse of alcohol and drugs are a complex social issue. Festivals are not outside society. This problem also exists, to a certain extent, in Werchter. This means a small minority of festivalgoers poses a possible safety and health risk. The festival organisation, along with governments and emergency services, take their responsibility. Together with the festival organisation, they wrote a joint vision that resulted in an integrated plan of action. Drugs are not welcome at the festivals in Werchter, alcohol is consumed moderately and responsibly. The approach is repressive, preventive and curative. With an integrated story, the various partners want to make a difference and apply a sustainable policy. Representatives of the organisation, the local and federal police, the public prosecutor's office, emergency services (Red Cross and UZ Leuven) and prevention services (Center for Mental Health and local prevention officer) and a liaison officer of the provincial governor work together.

Together with Inter, Werchter Boutique is making efforts to make the festival accessible to people with disabilities. We pay attention to the accessibility of the festival site and its surroundings for ticket buyers with disabilities. Read all about our collaboration with Inter.