Paradise City festival focuses on sustainable camping with ban on disposable party tents
The electronic music festival Paradise City, known as a pioneer in sustainability, will no longer allow disposable party tents on its campsite. The organisers are switching to reusable alternatives to reduce the amount of waste on the site.
Paradise City takes place in the gardens of Ribaucourt Castle in Steenokkerzeel, Flemish Brabant, and has a reputation for sustainability. In 2024, it was crowned the world’s most sustainable music festival by A Greener Future, an organisation that promotes sustainability and ecology in events around the world.
Yet the campsite remained a weak spot. Following the 2024 edition, which left behind a significant amount of waste due to bad weather and a growing number of visitors, a solution became imperative.
“That was a real wake-up call for us,” said organiser Gilles De Decker. “We have been investing in sustainability for years, but the campsite remained a difficult issue. We can only resolve this by involving our visitors in the process.”
That is why the festival, in collaboration with KBC Bank, is introducing an alternative system of reusable party tents. These are offered free of charge, subject to a 100 euro deposit which is refunded upon return. The tents are designed to last for several festivals, which should significantly reduce the waste stream.
"We want to move towards a campsite where reuse is the norm, not just by banning items but also by offering better alternatives"
According to the organisers, this is the first large-scale test case worldwide in which disposable tents are replaced by a circular system. Capacity will remain limited to begin with so the project can be evaluated.
The measure is part of a broader plan to reduce the campsite’s environmental impact. “This is not a one-off initiative,” De Decker said. “We want to move towards a campsite where reuse is the norm, not just by banning items, but also by offering better alternatives.”
#FlandersNewsService | Illustration © BELGA PHOTO TOM GOYVAERTS
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