What should festivalgoers know after 43 people were removed from Kamping Kitsch?

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 West Flanders

Place

West Flanders

Belgian province in which Kortrijk and the festival are located.

Why it matters

Belgian province in which Kortrijk and the festival are located.

About

West Flanders is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the North Sea to the northwest. It has land borders with the Dutch province of Zeeland to the northeast, the Flemish province of East Flanders to the east, the Walloon province of Hainaut in the south and the French department of Nord to the west. Its capital is Bruges (Brugge).

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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.

Kamping Kitsch Club is scheduled to return to Lange Munte 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.