Three girls injured by falling stage section at Sint-Job-in-’t-Goor festival

Three girls aged seven and eight were injured on Saturday, 5 September 2026, when part of a festival stage came down on them during the Ballekesfeesten in Sint-Job-in-’t-Goor, in the Antwerp municipality of Brecht, according to Het Nieuwsblad and HLN. The publishers reported the injuries on Saturday, but publicly accessible information did not immediately establish their severity or identify the section of the structure that fell.

Updated: 5 September 2026, Europe/Brussels.

The incident occurred during the festival’s Saturday programme at Max Wildiersplein. The municipality of Brecht lists the Ballekesfeesten there from 13:00 on Saturday until 03:00 on Sunday, with a community-association market, children’s entertainment, live music and DJs. The precise time of the accident has not been confirmed in the material available to Belgium Pulse.

Het Nieuwsblad described the victims as three young girls struck by a piece of the festival stage. HLN separately reported that the injured children were seven and eight years old. Neither report, in the information available at publication, established whether all three were taken to hospital or gave a detailed medical update. No cause has been officially announced.

The organisers’ published safety information says the grounds are enclosed, a certified security company is used, police and firefighters inspect the site, and a permanent Red Cross first-aid post is present. Those arrangements provide context for the event but do not explain how the stage section came down. Responsibility for the structure and the circumstances immediately preceding the incident remain unconfirmed.

The Ballekesfeesten are organised by Sint Job Leeft vzw with volunteers, local associations, sponsors and the municipality, according to the festival website. Het Nieuwsblad reported before this year’s edition that organisers expected about 7,000 visitors, underlining the scale of what is presented as a family-oriented local festival.

The immediate priority is the condition of the three children and a verified account of the failure. Further statements from the organisers, Brecht municipality, emergency services or Voorkempen police are expected to clarify the girls’ medical status, whether the affected area was closed, whether the programme continued and whether inspectors will examine the stage installation.