When it comes to the tired "name a famous Belgian" jibe, those that do come to mind are often from the music sphere – Brel, Bertrand, Stromae, Angèle... The country's cultural contribution really puts Belgium on the map. But not only can home-grown talent be heard on radio waves around the world, the world also comes to Belgium to revel in the rich festival offering.
Across Europe, the festival industry is flourishing, with weekend events providing entertainment for an increasingly international crowd. Belgium has pedigree as a venue for summer parties, playing host to mega-parties like Tomorrowland or not-so-underground hits like Horst. It isn't only electronic music (though Belgium is particularly strong in this respect), the diversity of genres celebrated is impressive.
But regardless of the musical style, all Belgian festivals are holding punters hostage with exasperating payment procedures that sour the overall experience. "Jetons", drink deposits, contactless payment wristbands... anyone who has been to a live music event in Belgium will sadly be familiar with the arcane systems of extracting currency from attendees.
Having tried many different lines of reasoning in an effort to play Devil's advocate I've come to the conclusion that there really is no justification for the racket that events around the country are running, which prevents you from paying with fiat money but instead obliges each festivalgoer to buy into a separate payment system, normally one specific to that event.
To illustrate the madness, consider the following scenario, which took place just last weekend. To purchase drinks or food at the event you must buy the event payment card and must by increments of €10 how much you would like to put on the card. This transaction can be done at a dedicated kiosk, for which you must queue. You buy a burger and a pint and soon decide on a second drink.
The bar has a long queue but you get to the front and order a beer, which costs €5. The payment is declined. Surely I have €5? you ask. In fact, you have €5.50. But there is a €1 deposit for the glass. So you hand over the plastic cup that you had carried around for the last hour in what should be an easy exchange of receptacle. Not so fast; the cup needs to be returned at the "cup return station". Surely I can just swap here? I don't mind keeping the same cup! Absolutely not. Computer says no.
Indignation, postulation, remonstration – no amount of ations can possibly exempt you from the protocol. And yes, there's a massive queue at the cup return station to get the euro returned to the event payment card so that you will have the €6 necessary to buy the €5 beer.
Sod this. You watch the music sober and seething. To reclaim your useful euros trapped in the payment card that is redundant as soon as you leave the site, there is a processing fee (€1 in this case).
Farces such as these are now a defining feature of Belgium's music scene, tarring the events that make the country stand out. Consumer organisations are now sounding the alarm that commercial malfeasance is widespread, but enforcement is lacking. Has your day out been spoiled by incomprehensible payment systems? Share your horror stories with @Orlando_tbt.
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