Les Ardentes

Les Ardentes (French pronunciation: [lezaʁdɑ̃t]) or Ardentes are a Belgian multi-day electro-rock music festival which yearly takes place in Liège, in early July. The last edition of the event took place in the district of Rocourt. Les Ardentes is organized ever since 2006, with Fabrice Lamproie and Gaëtan Servais as founders. The festival name is a French plural noun meaning "The Burning", a referral to the nickname of host city Liège, La cité ardente ("The Burning City"). Les Ardentes is one of the major festivals in the Meuse–Rhine Euroregion (formed by parts of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands). Attendance rose from 25,000 spectators at the first event to 200,000 in 2022. Since 2008, it is a four-day event whereas before, it lasted for three days. Les Ardentes has different stages on which the artists perform, the largest being situated in the centre of the park and others situated in the Halles des foires ("fair halls"). The festival is easily accessible by public transport—bus or train. Programming was expanded to include general pop, French chanson, and indie acts during the early 2010s.[1] In 2015, Les Ardentes welcomed rapper Kendrick Lamar, cementing the festival's shift towards including rap, hip-hop, and various styles of urban music. From July 2, 2026 to July 5, 2026, Les Ardentes celebrated its 20th anniversary. Nearly 270,000 people attended the festival over the course of four days.