Belgium has been on high alert since the March terrorist attacks in Brussels. The nation has placed extra restrictions on sporting venues to help increase the safety of its citizens. One of the extra restrictions is a ban on all bags. Now, Jan Briers wants to expand the ban to music festivals.
Jan Briers is the Governor of East Flanders and the Chairman of the Federation of Music Festivals in Flanders. Briers will meet with Tomorrowland and other major Belgian music festivals on Monday to recommend extra security measures.
“On Monday we will draw up a list of suggestions for the 200 or so festivals that there are in Flanders. It will be up to the organisers themselves to decide together with the local Mayor and the police which security measures they intend to take,” said Briers.
Regardless of what is said at the Monday meeting, nothing is binding. No suggestion is mandatory to follow. Festivals are still free to implement and regulate security as they please.
If Tomorrowland chooses to implement the ban on bags, it will likely only affect the festival grounds. It wouldn’t make any sense to ban bags in Dreamville, after all it is a camping festival. As of now, Tomorrowland has made no official comments regarding security.
The nature of this issue is sensitive and important. Earlier this week, Belgian officials decided that the terror threat level should remain at 3 (a serious terrorist threat). We all hope the weekend goes off without a hitch and trust that ID&T will keep attendees safe without compromising the overall festival experience.
H/T: Your EDM
