Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat

So starts the annual digging in between couch cushions, selling of any sort of superfluous material good, and small-time endeavors into questionable forms of enterprise. All of which ends, ultimately, in the begging of parents to finance yet another summer of “self-exploration”. But seriously mom, Chelsea’s parents are going to buy her tickets this year, cough cough, hint hint— sounds like the squanderings and sniffles of the modern disconcerted youth.

Summer festival season is coming (first everyone has to get through the holidays with their families though, and some). But seriously, at the beginning of all this great reveal that will take place over the next six or so months is legendary Belgian music festival Rock Werchter.

This year’s four-day music, camping, and (heavy) drinking extravaganza flips on all the amp switches and tunes up its annual multiple-stage set-up on June 29th 2017 and never really stops until July 2nd of that next week. While the full 2017 line-up still remains a mystery, and ticket sales open up this Saturday, November 19th, organizers of Werchter spilt a few of the biggest beans on their bill of performers:

Fans of Radiohead, System of a Down, and Linkin Park can all expect to be first in line for their tickets, but so much mystery still remains (oooohhhh ahhhhhh).

In the meantime, Rock Werchter’s beginnings are rooted in the village that gives the event it’s namesake. Since 1976, the Belgian rock “holiday” in the flemish region of the country celebrates a constantly expanding reputation as an institution on the European festival circuit. Over the last decade, six of the past annual festivals received the Arthur award for best festival in the world at the International Live Music Conference. Headliners from the past years recognized by LMC include Metallica, R.E.M., The Chemical Brothers, Muse, New Order, and Kraftwerk (well the list just keeps going on…and on…).

The festival’s original founder Herman Schueremans faces harsh public scrutiny in the recent selling of the event to American booking messiahs at Livenation. Of course, everyone had to be so surprised when the ladder raised the price of tickets to an unheard of and alarming high (NOT). But, as disappointment in the festival’s founder bubbles over, long-time attendees and not-so-experienced ticket buyers still come out in head-spinning amounts. Last year (2016), Rock Werchter said Hello, and eventually Goodbye to roughly 150,000 music and festival fans from around the world.

According to the event’s website, “Four days, three stages. The best headliners, fiery young stars, hard-bitten rockers, singer-songwriters and the fattest beats. There’s no doubting Rock Werchter’s commitment to every musical genre. Belgium’s greatest summer music festival takes place from Thursday 29 June to Sunday 2 July. The Festivalpark in Werchter ticks all the boxes. Best line up? Oh, yes. Good food and drink? Check. Technical innovation and production? Top class. Comfort? Excellent. Tents as good as concert halls? You bet. Festival atmosphere? Through and through. Rock Werchter is a multiple award winning international hit.”

Plus, who doesn’t want to hear 150,000 people sing back the words to “Creep” back to the indelible Thom Yorke? All of this and more is available for ticketing purposes this coming Saturday, November 19th, 2016.

UPDATE (11/18): Arcade Fire have been added to the Rock Werchter 2017 lineup.

UPDATE (11/30): Kings of Leon have been added to the lineup.

Announced headliners and their dates:

Radiohead
Linkin Park
System of a Down
Foo Fighters
Arcade Fire
Kings of Leon
Alt-J
Blink-182
The Chainsmokers
Imagine Dragons
James Blake
Lorde
Oscar and the Wolf
Prophets of Rage
Royal Blood
Soulwax
Agnes Obel
Bazart
Bonobo (Live)
Crystal Fighters
Dropkick Murphys
Future Islands
Kaleo
The Kills
The Lumineers
Mark Lanegan Band
Mura Masa
Rae Sremmurd
Warhaus
White Lies
Benjamin Clementine
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes
Maggie Rogers