What should festivalgoers know after 43 people were removed from Kamping Kitsch?
Police removed 25 people for inappropriate behaviour and barred or expelled 18 others after finding drugs at Kamping Kitsch Club in Kortrijk on 22 August 2026. For visitors, the practical lesson is straightforward: check the event rules before travelling, use the on-site reporting and medical points when necessary, and call 112 if someone is in immediate danger.
The incident shows how admission controls, behavioural rules, medical care and confidential reporting operate at a large Belgian festival. Visitors—especially newcomers unfamiliar with Dutch terminology or local institutions—benefit from knowing where to seek help and which conduct can result in immediate removal.
Police removed 25 people for inappropriate behaviour and barred or expelled 18 others found carrying drugs at in on Saturday, 22 August 2026. The practical takeaway for anyone attending a Belgian festival is simple: read the organiser’s admission rules, identify the medical and reporting points when you arrive, and seek help immediately rather than waiting until the journey home.
The fifteenth edition drew about 25,000 people to , according to the organiser and regional broadcaster . , which serves the gemeenten of , and , deployed four drug-detection dogs at the entrance. The dogs indicated 134 visitors; searches found drugs on 18, mainly pills or powders that police said had sometimes been “inventively concealed”. Sixteen received an official report or, where applicable, an immediate settlement proposal. Police opened investigations into suspected dealing involving the other two. All 18 had their drugs confiscated and had to leave or were refused access.
Police also removed 25 people for inappropriate behaviour, made six administrative arrests for public drunkenness or disturbing public order, and drew up four reports concerning alleged assaults, according to and reporting by The Brussels Times based on Belga. These categories overlap conceptually but the authorities did not publish enough individual detail to determine whether any people appeared in more than one category. No identities were released, and the opening of an investigation does not establish guilt.
The medical post treated roughly 150 visitors, mainly for minor injuries or ailments, while an unspecified number went to hospital for further examination, reported. Neither the diagnoses nor the number of hospital transfers was disclosed. Despite those interventions, mayor Ruth Vandenberghe said the policing operation and the midnight departure proceeded without a major incident.
## What the rules mean in practice
Kamping Kitsch’s published rules prohibit drugs, weapons, aggression, discrimination, unwanted touching, exhibitionism and other obstructive or offensive conduct. Visitors must be at least 18, pass through a metal-detection gate and may be asked to open bags or submit to a lawful security check. Refusing a permitted entrance check can mean being denied admission.
That combination of flamboyant costumes and firm boundaries is central to the festival’s identity. The event invites visitors to dress extravagantly and describes itself as a place where people can be themselves, but theatrical licence is not consent. Clothing, intoxication and the deliberately provocative setting do not remove another person’s right to bodily integrity or excuse harassment.
For international residents, the language split is worth anticipating. Public announcements and first-line conversations at this Flemish event are likely to be primarily in Dutch, although many staff members may understand English or French. Ask plainly for the “meldpunt” if you need the reporting point, the “EHBO-post” or “medische post” for first aid, and “politie” for police. In a French-speaking commune, the equivalent terms are “point de signalement”, “poste de secours” and “police”. Belgium’s emergency number 112 works nationwide and across the EU; 101 connects directly to Belgian police emergencies.
This year, Kamping Kitsch worked for the first time with a Zorgcentrum na Seksueel Geweld, or Sexual Assault Centre, at its reporting point. Police said it received no reports of unwanted sexual behaviour during the event. That figure should be read narrowly: it records reports made there, not necessarily every experience among 25,000 visitors.
Belgium’s official Sexual Assault Centre network says victims can obtain medical, forensic and psychological care without first filing a police complaint. Its centres are available around the clock; the centre is at AZ Delta in Roeselare. The federal English-language portal sac.belgium.be lists every centre and is useful for newcomers who do not read Dutch or French. Anyone in immediate danger should call 112.
## Enforcement and care are not opposites
The controls illustrate Belgium’s broader attempt to combine enforcement with prevention and care. The federal 2026–2029 interfederal drugs strategy supports action against illegal supply while also calling for evidence-based information, early intervention and measures that reduce health damage and stigma. In other words, removing drugs from an entrance queue addresses one risk; accessible medical staff and candid health advice address another.
That balance matters at festivals because an intoxicated person may need urgent care regardless of whether a prohibited substance is involved. Federal emergency protocols prioritise the patient’s condition and flag overheating, convulsions, breathing problems and rapidly changing consciousness as warning signs. Festivalgoers should alert stewards or medics, stay with the person if it is safe, and tell clinicians honestly what may have been consumed. In an emergency, accurate information is more useful than fear of embarrassment.
For future visits, a short routine helps: save the organiser’s transport information, agree on a meeting point with friends, locate the first-aid and reporting posts, keep your phone charged and arrange a sober route home. If behaviour crosses a boundary, move to a staffed area and note what happened while details are fresh. The gemeente or city website, the relevant politiezone and the organiser’s official site are better sources than recycled social-media advice because entrance arrangements can change between editions.
is scheduled to return to on 21 August 2027, according to the organiser. The main unresolved questions from 2026 concern the two suspected-dealing investigations and the four assault reports; authorities have not announced their outcomes. For most visitors, however, the lasting point is less dramatic: an exuberant festival remains enjoyable only when its rules, care services and personal boundaries are understood before the music starts.
Impact
Regional — The festival brings a large one-day crowd to Kortrijk’s Lange Munte district, increasing pressure on transport, policing, emergency care and nearby residents. The city and organisers have renewed their cooperation and acknowledge recurring effects such as noise and parking pressure.
Local — Around 25,000 visitors converged on Sportcampus Lange Munte in Kortrijk for the one-day event, adding pressure on transport, parking, policing, emergency care and the surrounding Lange Munte district. The medical post treated about 150 people, mainly for minor conditions. Kortrijk and the organisers have renewed their cooperation while acknowledging recurring effects on nearby residents, including noise and parking pressure. Local safety planning therefore affects festivalgoers as well as residents and services across the city.
What it means for you
If attending a future edition, read the official FAQ and prohibited-items rules before travelling: drugs, weapons, aggression, discrimination and unwanted touching can lead to refused entry or immediate removal. Identify the medical and confidential reporting points when you arrive, keep your group’s meeting arrangements clear, and call 112 when someone faces immediate danger. After sexual violence, contact a Belgian Sexual Assault Centre for specialist support. Visitors unfamiliar with Dutch should save the relevant help information on their phone in advance. Check Kortrijk transport and parking arrangements close to the event date because the one-day crowd creates local pressure.
Opposing perspectives
- Police and municipal safety authorities
Police Zone VLAS and the City of Kortrijk present visible and discreet policing, entrance searches, detection dogs and immediate removal as necessary safeguards for a gathering of roughly 25,000 people. They point to the absence of a major incident as evidence that the coordinated operation worked.
- Public-health and harm-reduction services
Belgian health policy treats enforcement as only one part of festival safety. Medical access, evidence-based information and non-stigmatising support remain necessary because confiscation and exclusion cannot prevent every intoxication, discourage all use or help somebody already experiencing a medical emergency.
- Festivalgoers concerned about intrusive controls
Visitors may question the proportionality and accuracy of detection-led searches, particularly because dogs indicated 134 people while drugs were reportedly found on 18. The published figures do not explain every false indication, although the organiser’s conditions warn visitors about entrance screening.
Who, where and what
Key people, places and terms in this story
West Flemish city hosting Kamping Kitsch Club and coordinating around its local effects.
Belgian province in which Kortrijk and the festival are located.
Municipality served by Police Zone VLAS.
Festival venue in Kortrijk.
Kortrijk district affected by the festival crowd, noise and parking pressure.
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West Flemish city hosting Kamping Kitsch Club and coordinating around its local effects.
Festival venue in Kortrijk.
Kortrijk district affected by the festival crowd, noise and parking pressure.
Belgian province in which Kortrijk and the festival are located.
Municipality served by Police Zone VLAS.
Municipality served by Police Zone VLAS.
Adult-only costume and music festival where the removals, drug findings and medical interventions occurred.
Belgium’s drug-policy framework referenced in the article’s supporting sources.
Local police service involved in admission controls, removals, arrests and drug enforcement.
Local authority cooperating with the festival organiser on the event and its neighbourhood effects.
Specialist support network available to people affected by sexual violence.
Belgian federal public-health authority responsible for national public-health information, including drug policy.
Belgian public-service news outlet that reported on drug controls at the 2021 festival edition.
Belgian newspaper reporting the 2026 police intervention figures.
West Flemish regional broadcaster reporting on attendance at the 2026 festival.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceHet NieuwsbladPrimaryprimary· nieuwsblad.be· 23 August 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 40 days ago· Dated
- View sourceFocus-WTVcorroborating· focus-wtv.be· 23 August 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 40 days ago· Dated
- View sourceThe Brussels Timescorroborating· brusselstimes.com· 23 August 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 40 days ago· Dated
- View sourceCity of Kortrijkofficial· kortrijk.be· 10 April 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 175 days ago· Dated
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This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.