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In the midst of Brussels’ cultural renaissance, Horst Festival celebrated its seventh edition this year, with thousands of attendees clamouring for tickets to the now-established event. Over the course of three days and eight stages, each with its own distinct personality, Horst became a meeting point for creatives, music lovers and festival-goers alike, all coming together in celebration of community, friendship and art. Even if you were one of the lucky ones in attendance, chances are you still missed out on some of what Horst had to offer — even we could barely make it through the entire programme.
In recent years, Brussels has steadily shifted its reputation from being merely one of Europe’s political hubs to one of its creative capitals, particularly when it comes to music and art. After all, artistic movements like Art Nouveau have deep roots in the region. It only made sense for Horst to lean fully into the city’s multicultural and multidisciplinary identity, showcasing this rich blend of backgrounds and creative minds not only through its musical line-up but also via artist residencies, talks, and performances that took place throughout the weekend.
This year’s edition unfolded in Asiat Park in Vilvoorde, near Brussels, a former military base now reclaimed by nature, serving as a raw and intimate haven. With its eye-catching, abandoned cooling towers, the site set the tone: an industrial, gritty atmosphere that completely immersed us for the weekend.
Departing from the breathtaking Cardo Brussels, Autograph Collection hotel, we arrived on the first day just in time for the opening panel in the Rain Room. That’s the magic of Horst: you go for the music but end up staying for the talks, live performances, and art installations scattered across the site. Before diving into the performances, it’s worth mentioning that each stage deserved its own article and we would never end — the designs were immaculate, capturing the essence of Brussels’ creative scene while celebrating both local and international talent, especially young and up-and-coming voices.
Horst has long experimented with architecture, and this year was no different: it elevated the festival experience in a genuinely mind-bending way. “A young team of fourteen volunteers of all genders, some of whom had never even cut a piece of wood before, co-designed the Moon Ra stage with architect Leopold Banchini,” co-director Jochem Daelmans told METAL. The stage hosted Kiosk and The Lot Radio, two of the city’s most revered platforms, and created one of the most intimate moments of the festival. Attendees bundled together in and around the rave hut, a miniature UFO-like structure piercing its roof, fully immersed in pulsing bass.
If you ventured to one of the far corners of the site, you may have come across the Dark Skies stage, which doubled as an acoustic sculpture with over a hundred and seventy-four speakers hanging from the ceiling, literally forming a roof of sound. It surrounded the audience in a multidimensional sound field, making it feel like an indoor club despite being a completely open-air stage. Conceived through a surprising collaboration between techno giant DVS1, Banchini, Giona Bierens De Haan and others, it was constructed entirely from upcycled materials. Artists like Four Tet and DVS1 himself had the privilege of playing one of the four rotating decks under the sound canopy. Think Boiler Room, but dare we say, four times better.
Other standout stages included: The Swirl Stage, with a tiered, spiral-shaped dancefloor and rotating parts; The Ring, made from gigantic, repurposed steel beams; Le Soleil Rouge, featuring a colossal, light-reflecting red disc; Weaving Weeds, with its layered and sprawling dancefloor set amidst greenery. Massive shout-out to the entire lighting team — it was easily some of the tightest we’ve ever seen at a festival, completely elevating each artist and stage.
As for the music programme, the line-up was stacked, blending international guests like Four Tet, Surgeon, Objekt, Verraco and CC:Disco! with emerging and local names, alongside long-time Horst residents such as AliA, Lefto Early Bird, and Kuba’97. With such a reliably forward-thinking cast of selectors, DJs, artists, and performers, we were guaranteed a high-energy, genre-spanning three days. We heard house, breakbeat, drum and bass, jungle, Brazilian funk, disco, and of course, plenty of techno.
Seeing these often male-dominated genres include a strong representation of female artists (the most balanced line-up we’ve seen in ages) brought a vibrant, much-needed energy to the weekend. Much has been said about Horst being an incubator for talent and a huge supporter of artists. We’ve seen it first-hand with AliA (who we’ve also interviewed). It’s clear: Horst is more than a festival; it’s a community, and a vital one at that.
Some of our personal highlights included Badsista, CC:Disco!, Shyboi, Four Tet, Brodinski, TaliaBle, Perra Inmunda, and DJ Stingray 313 & Helena Hauff, all of whom delivered refreshingly unique performances and absolute prowess on the decks and mics. We had the pleasure of seeing Badsista twice: on Thursday, first at the Resident Advisor-hosted Weaving Weeds stage (which also featured stellar sets from Verraco, Amor Satyr, and Slu Mata), and later closing out the Moon Ra stage, hosted by Kiosk and The Lot Radio. Across her sets, she led the dancefloor through a mix of techno, Chicago house and, naturally, Brazilian funk.
CC:Disco! had the honour of closing Friday night at The Ring stage with an impeccable set full of disco classics. The vibe was euphoric: colourful lights, playful energy, and the perfect break from some of the harder sets that dominated the weekend. Honestly, what else would you expect from the queen herself?
While it’s tough to pick a favourite day, Friday was probably the best. TaliaBle’s live show was among the most unforgettable moments of the festival. The Tottenham-born punk rapper and visual artist, donning a white ski mask and a custom-made tee by exhibiting multidisciplinary artist Kenza Taleb Vandeput, turned the stage into a full-on mosh pit. She charged through the crowd, dancing, rapping, and encouraging total connection between audience, environment and herself. Shyboi was also on double duty that day, delivering a daytime set at Moon Ra, and later closing Weaving Weeds with one of the most explosive moments of the festival. Her carefully layered mix of techno, Brazilian funk, soca, and dancehall had us sweating, with transitions smoother than soft-serve ice cream.
Perra Inmunda’s Saturday set flew by, bringing flirty, chaotic, hypnotic energy to the floor — their daring sound creating a sense of total discovery. And then, almost wrapping up the weekend, DJ Stingray 313 and Helena Hauff took over The Ring stage in what felt like a ritual. Hauff’s raw, analogue approach to techno met DJ Stingray’s futuristic Detroit electro in a blistering B2B set that somehow managed to be both contrasting and completely cohesive. And let’s be real, every artist on the line-up delivered. Flowers all around for an exceptional edition.
If you saw naked people spray-painted in shiny colours wandering around the site, don’t worry. That was just British artist Eddie Peake’s subversive performance piece, The Pervert. Another unmissable visual moment came from American artist Marilyn Minter, whose projections onto the looming cooling towers created the perfect backdrop for social media snaps and forward-thinking performances.
The Asiat site’s layout also contributed to the festival’s communal energy; it felt more like a massive gathering of friends than a commercial event, helped by the total absence of large, flashy sponsors we’re all used to seeing elsewhere. Horst prides itself on being an independent, community-focused festival, and it shows. Beyond the razor-sharp musical curation, visitors were treated to a relaxation room (yes, we may have had a cheeky nap in there), captivating art installations at every turn, clearly marked help points, and festival merch.
We spent most of our time exploring, meeting new people, and discovering incredible emerging talent. And while ‘no phones in sight’ has become a bit of a meme, Horst truly embodied that ethos — helped by spotty signal and the deeply immersive vibe. It was refreshing to see people fully present, dancing and connecting without screens in the way. Honestly? It felt like a spiritual retreat. With a bold programme of boundary-pushing music from over a hundred and fifteen cutting-edge artists, ambitious and thoughtful art, and one of the most open-minded crowds we’ve encountered, this year’s Horst was unforgettable. We’re already counting down to next year.
Thank you, Horst, see you soon!
