Music festivals’ cash policy under fire from consumer rights watchdog

Consumer rights organisation Test-Achats has sharp criticism for a number of major music festivals refusing to accept cash from festivalgoers.

All events have been legally obliged since last April to accept cash payments when the sale takes place in the physical presence of the seller and the buyer.

Test-Achats looked at 13 major festivals in Belgium (Couleur Café, Graspop, Les Ardentes, Dour Festival, Paradise City, Brosella, Ronquières Festival, Francofolies, Pukkelpop, Rock Werchter, Tomorrowland, Esperanzah and Lokerse Feesten) and found that nine of them did not accept cash payments for tickets, parking spaces or camping pitches.

“We’ve contacted the festivals to remind them of their obligations,” said Test-Achats spokesperson Lisa Mailleux.

“They give all sorts of excuses, or say that if the tickets are not sold out, a cash payment will be available. However, they do not indicate this possibility on their website, and when we visit the festival, we notice that this is not always true.”

Test-Achats also criticised the ban on the resale or exchange of tickets, the lack of clarity about the value of virtual currencies, the obligation to buy these currencies in batches, the sometimes abusive fees associated with the activation and redemption of these currencies and various other "questionable practices".

The organisation is calling for stricter application of the legislation, more controls and is inviting people to report any incidents or violations on its website.