No 2025 edition
When the cancellation of the 2024 edition was announced, the communication was clear to the organizers: the festival is not canceled but it is postponed. The rainy weather conditions at the beginning of June made the installation of stages and the PMR infrastructure in particular impossible. Clarification at the time: since the edition was not canceled, the tickets would not be refunded, they remaining valid for the 2025 edition.
“We are deeply saddened by this situation. The weather is a variable beyond our control and, unfortunately, the conditions do not guarantee everyone’s safety, as the terrain is totally unstable“, then deplored the organization, which committed itself, however, “to make the next edition a memorable event to celebrate a decade of music and sharing”. 2025 would indeed have been the 10th anniversary.
However, this jubilee will not be celebrated, the bankruptcy of the non-profit organization having been declared, for reasons beyond their control, insist the organizers (read below).
As you can imagine, the announcement has the effect of a bombshell, particularly among the artists who are asking for their fee but also among the spectators who have already purchased their tickets. If Test Achats, a consumer union, already estimated in June that an offer, for a postponement or for a refund, should be proposed, the refund now seems compromised. However, some “damaged people” are already announcing legal action…
30 days from… October 21
As indicated by Maître Gabrielli, representative of 2 service providers (artists) but also “of several festival-goers”“our fear is that silence has been deliberately kept about this bankruptcy”to avoid action being taken we must understand. He actually details it, “the timing is important because, from the declaration of bankruptcy, a period of 30 days is set to declare the debts to the curators”. However, bankruptcy was officially declared on October 21.
Maître Gabrielli therefore confirms that he will make this declaration for his clients.and see what’s going on”; the other fear being in particular being “facing a fraudulent bankruptcy”. “If the activities of the bankrupt non-profit organization are taken over by another non-profit organization, the maneuver could eliminate the deficit and make it possible to start from scratch. […] out of the question that my clients are the turkey of the joke”.
“Nothing fraudulent but it’s impossible to leave”
Contacted by us, the organizers of the Feel Good Festival today assure that they want to be transparent with festival-goers… and claim to have done everything to maintain the event in 2024 but mention a succession of bad luck, “unmanageable for a small non-profit organization like us”.
As Damien Corbesier of the ASBL Kin Porte Le Projet explains to us, “the bad luck began with this scam suffered with the Gims agent”. During the 2021 edition, in fact, the fee of the well-known artist was set at 110,000 euros for his visit to Aqualian lands. “A first deposit was requested by his agent at the time, of 45,000 euros. What had been paid. Then in February, another advance of 45,000 euros was requested. We explained that it was too much for us but he didn’t want to hear it. We then paid it but shortly after, this agent declared bankruptcy”. As a result, the money had disappeared into thin air… and the artist’s new agent demanded a new full fee, of 120,000 euros.
“The Covid years were not easy to manage either, not to mention the floods which occurred in regions where many festival-goers come from. It was very complicated that year”continues the organizer.
The canceled 2024 edition will follow, “for reasons totally beyond our control.”insists Damien Corbesier who specifies that this cancellation was a disaster. With the deposits paid to certain artists and advertising, the deficit climbs to more than 200,000 euros… and without a festival, no income could be recorded this year; apart from pre-sales of course.
“We are all volunteers, we really took our time but it is impossible to leave. I am disgusted but I insist on the fact that there is nothing fraudulent, there was no lack of management”.
