The 2022 Meakusma Festival will take place from September 1st till September 4th. Two eventful years, think pandemic and the 2021 floods in East Belgium, prevented the festival from happening in 2020 and 2021, but we are happy to be able to announce a new edition to which we have even added an extra day to compensate the two cancelled editions. As per usual, the center of the festival will be the beautiful Alter Schlachthof venue in Eupen that, with its multiple rooms and garden, has been treating us extremely well for years now. Some of our other trusted venues in and around Eupen will also be back, next to some new venues that we will be using for the first time this year.
Our new festival website is now online, just to make sure our festival audience has a better overview of things. The website is still a work in progress, so make sure to check in regularly to find new features and news tidbits. Everyone subscribed to the Meakusma newsletter will of course also receive regular festival updates on the festival. Our social media channels will keep you equally updated.
Without further ado …
Venues
As mentioned before, we have decided to add an extra festival day this year, so for the first time ever, there will be a limited program on Thursday as well, ending at 2 AM. The 2021 floods in and around Eupen forced us to cancel the festival last year. The pandemic did the same in 2020. Adding an extra day is an effort to have some of the artists booked for last year and the year before, perform for you this year. The 2022 lineup is the biggest one we have yet managed to get together.
The Berlin-based Splitter Orchester will be performing twice in the abandoned shopping mall Eupen Plaza in the center of Eupen, so both on Saturday and Sunday. Some performances will take place in the Foyer of Jünglingshaus on Friday. The Galerie Vorn und Oben will be hosting two installations and the opening concert of Sky H1 and Mika Oki. There will be concerts in the Friedenskirche on Friday and Sunday and three days of installations and performances at the IKOB Museum of Contemporary Art. All performances at the Heuboden will be streamed live on LYL Radio and some other radio stations that are yet to be confirmed. The Speicher room of the Alter Schlachthof will be host to more concerts than in previous years. The sound system of 54KOLAKTIV from Brussels will also be back, hosting DJ-sets and live performances on Saturday and on Sunday afternoon.
The Eupen-based community radio station Studio Néau in the Loten Park will serve as a place to hang out, take a break and listen to dedicated artist talks, interviews and the festival-oriented radio program. If the weather allows, we will even organize some spontaneous open-air performances right in front of the radio studio in the park.
In previous years, we have sometimes heard about people missing out on performances due to the size of the rooms in the Alter Schlachthof. We therefore recommend you to be on time if you want to see a concert taking place in a small room. We understand the frustration of missing out on something, but we also think that a lot of the music we program thrives in a small context.
Due to the lineup being the most extensive one we have ever programmed, please head over to the bio section of the festival for detailed artist info and more.
A Spotify playlist will give you a sneak preview of the musical tone the festival will strike this year. Those not into music streaming, we, as many other record labels would, salute you. There are other options outside of the big streaming platforms to check on artists, surely.
We still offer a three-day ticket at 90 euro, next to a full four-day ticket at 100 euro. Day tickets are also available: Thursday September 1st for 15 euro, Friday September 2nd for 40 euro, Saturday September 3rd for 45 euro and Saturday September 4th for 40 euro. All tickets are of course limited, with the ones for Thursday even a bit more limited. Buying tickets in advance is very much recommended.
The Eupen youth hostel offers a three-night and a four-night formula for people attending the festival. Camping will once again be possible and we are also working on new accommodation options. More information on accommodation for the festival is to be found and will still be added on the festival website and will also be touched upon in the Meakusma newsletter and through our social media channels.
Eupen being in the east of Belgium offers many advantages as The Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France are all almost next door. There is a train connecting Eupen to the train stations of Liège, Louvain, Brussels, Ghent and more, every hour. The festival site and all other venues used are all a short walk from the train station. There are several airports nearby with Zaventem/Brussels being the biggest one and the most obvious choice for people flying in. Any flight tracker will guide you to several airports offering low-cost flights not far from Eupen. Those traveling by car will find an easy highway connection from anywhere in Belgium, Germany and more.