Three nights of international pop and rock in Antwerp's Rivierenhof Park, drawing 30,000 people across a lineup that consistently includes major European and American headliners.
Live is Live Festival takes place in Rivierenhof Park in Deurne, approximately 4km east of Antwerp city centre, across three evenings in late June. The park setting means the audience stands on grass rather than hard standing, which changes the dynamic considerably compared to city-centre venues. The festival focuses on established pop and rock acts with strong back catalogues rather than current chart music, which gives it a slightly older demographic than the predominantly electronic festivals that dominate the Belgian summer calendar. Past editions have featured acts like Tom Jones, Elton John, and Simple Minds. Capacity per day is around 10,000 people, making it large enough to have genuine festival energy but manageable compared to the 50,000-plus events elsewhere in Belgium.
The festival site in Rivierenhof is accessible by tram from Antwerp Central Station: tram 11 runs direct to Deurne and the journey takes about 20 minutes. Entry gates open at 5pm on each of the three evenings; the main act typically performs from around 8:30pm to 10:30pm. Food stalls cover the standard Belgian festival range: frites, burgers, stoofvlees sandwiches, and a wide selection of Belgian beers at €4–€6. The park itself does not permit camping, so accommodation is in central Antwerp. The city has a range of budget accommodation on and around Nationalestraat and near the train station, with Antwerp Central being one of Europe's more architecturally remarkable stations if you happen to be arriving by rail from Brussels or Amsterdam.
Party hostels within reach of 's main celebrations. Ranked by guest rating.
Day-by-day breakdown
Gates open at 5pm, leaving the afternoon for the city. The Meir shopping street runs from Central Station toward the old town and has a concentration of cafés and bars. The Zurenborg neighbourhood, also on the tram 11 route toward Rivierenhof, has a more local feel and cheaper drinks. The Cogels-Osylei street in Zurenborg contains some of the most elaborate Art Nouveau townhouse architecture in Belgium, if architecture is part of your pre-festival walk.
Arrive at the Rivierenhof gates between 5:30pm and 6pm to avoid the main queue at 7pm. Support acts start around 7pm. Position on the grass for the headliner depends on how close you want to be; the park slope means sightlines are decent from 50 metres back. The festival ends at 11pm per park regulations. Most of the audience continues to Café d'Anvers on Verversrui in the old port area, which runs until 4am and is Antwerp's most established club.