Paradise City Says Thank You With A Free Open-Air Comeback In Brussels

After a storm cut short one of the strongest editions in its history, Paradise City Festival is giving affected festivalgoers a free open-air night on Place Noord in Brussels on Saturday, September 5. The line-up brings back Benwal, whose Castle Stage closing set was interrupted by the storm, alongside Alycia Bezgo, Conducta, Ava Eva and shoplifter. It’s a small but meaningful gesture from an organisation that didn’t have to do anything at all — and for Brussels’ electronic music community, it’s a chance to properly close out a weekend that ended too soon.

A record edition, cut short by the weather

Paradise City’s 2026 edition was, by most measures, its biggest yet. The eleventh edition sold out with 45,000 visitors across three days in the gardens of Kasteel Ribaucourt, delivering a line-up that held its promise from the first set to the last. But the night of Saturday June 28 didn’t go as planned: with a severe storm approaching, the festival site was closed early after consultation with safety authorities, and part of the crowd missed the final hours of the day, including several headline sets.

It was the right call to make, but it left a bittersweet ending on what was otherwise an exceptional weekend.

No obligation, but a genuine gesture

Legally, the early closure counts as force majeure. Paradise City wasn’t required to offer anything in return, and the festival itself took a real financial hit that night, between lost bar revenue and artist fees. Choosing to give something back anyway is what makes this announcement stand out.

Read also : Heat, Storms and Beats: Ket Visits Paradise City’s Wildest Edition Yet

“We have no legal obligation to act, and we ourselves lost a lot that night,” says organiser Gilles De Decker. “But Paradise City is more than a festival. It’s a community. And that community showed the best of itself on Saturday night: calm, understanding, in solidarity with each other. That deserves a response.”

That framing matters beyond the practical gesture itself. Electronic music spaces, at their best, run on exactly this kind of trust between organisers and crowd — the sense that people are looked after, not just sold a ticket. Choosing to honour that relationship even without being forced to says something about the kind of festival Paradise City wants to remain as it grows.

What’s happening on Place Noord

On Saturday September 5, Paradise City is turning Place Noord in Brussels into a one-night open-air stage. Benwal, who was meant to close the Castle Stage on that fateful Saturday but never got the chance, finally gets to deliver that set. Joining the bill are Alycia Bezgo, Conducta, Ava Eva and shoplifter — enough to recreate some of that late-night energy the storm took away, this time in the middle of the city rather than in the castle grounds of Steenokkerzeel.

Brussels, once again, at the centre

Paradise City has built its reputation partly on its setting — the woods and water of Kasteel Ribaucourt, recognised internationally as one of the world’s most sustainable music festivals. Bringing a piece of that experience into the heart of Brussels, on a public square, is a different exercise altogether: no castle, no camping, just a free night built around music and the people who showed up for the festival in the first place.

It’s also a reminder that Brussels’ electronic scene doesn’t only live inside clubs and fenced-off festival grounds — sometimes it spills out onto a city square, open to whoever wants to stop and stay a while.

Practical information

Paradise City Free Night — Place Noord, Brussels
Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026
Line-up: Benwal, Alycia Bezgo, Conducta, Ava Eva, shoplifter

Visitors who attended Saturday June 28 with a Saturday, Weekend or Camping ticket get priority access. They’ll receive a personal code by email to claim their free ticket. Claiming the ticket requires a 15€ contribution, fully redeemable as drink credits on site — a practical measure to avoid no-shows and help the organisation plan the event properly. Once the priority window closes, remaining spots, if any, will go on sale to the general public.

A storm didn’t get the last word on Paradise City 2026 — and on September 5, neither will anyone who missed out the first time.

KET Magazine is a community‑driven, non‑profit magazine run by volunteers and based in Brussels. You can find our other music and nightlife stories on ket.brussels, and you can always write to us to share your projects or pitch a story: info@ket.brussels