Set on the festival site in Kortrijk, Alcatraz offers the perfect blend of atmosphere and convenience. The festival is incredibly easy to reach by public transport and the many shuttle busses that are put in place. Heck, it’s even quite doable to walk all the way from the city center to the festival if you’re looking to have a proper warm-up exercise to start your festival day. Once at the area itself, everything is within reach of a couple of minutes walking. The compact layout means you never have to trek miles between stages or miss a set while queuing for food. The site is mostly flat, walkable, and surprisingly green for a metal fest. With its prison theme and tight setup, it’s one of the most accessible metal festivals out there. Whether you’re a day-tripper or a full-weekend camper, the setting makes your experience smoother and more immersive.

Alcatraz doesn’t just throw together big names and call it a day. Their line-ups are crafted with care and vision. Each edition delivers a great mix of legendary acts, current heavyweights, and exciting newcomers from across metal’s vast spectrum. Whether you’re into death metal, doom, hardcore, thrash, or stoner rock, you’ll find something tailored to your tastes. The booking is varied but coherent, so you always feel like you’re part of a real musical journey. It’s the kind of festival where both casual fans and diehards find plenty to love at as good as all times of the day.

Ask any Alcatraz regular and they’ll tell you: the Swamp is where the real magic goes down. Tucked under a partially covered tent, it delivers an intimate atmosphere for the darker, more extreme end of the spectrum – think sludge, black metal, and doom. The acoustics are raw and powerful, and the energy from the crowd is next-level. It’s often where bands give their most intense performances and where hidden gems are uncovered. Even if it’s a band you don’t know, walk into the Swamp you might just walk out a fan. But that’s not counting out the other stages, if you’re looking for things to be more grandiose and epic, more party mood and singalongs, the Prison Stage is where thousands of people gather every day to see the headliners of the day or any of the other big names that get shoved on there. Or then there’s the Helldorado stage where you can get a good serving of hardcore, post-metal, sludge, stoner,… on as good as every day of the weekend. And last but not least, the very intimate club vibe La Morgue stage with a lot of local and Belgian talents, but also the more underground bands that speak to a refined palette…

I mean, it’s a bit of a given, isn’t it? You’re in Belgium, so naturally, the beer game is strong. Alcatraz goes beyond basic lagers to offer a selection of tasty, local brews from strong triples to smooth blondes and refreshing fruit beers. Whether you want to sip a trappist while watching black metal or down a cherry beer with your fries, there’s something for every taste. The prices are reasonable for a festival, and the staff serving them are friendly and quick. For those who like their metal with a side of quality booze, this place delivers.

Despite all the leather, spikes, and facepaint, the atmosphere at Alcatraz is incredibly welcoming. The crowd is known for being chill, respectful, and always up for a good time whether that means opening up a mosh pit or helping someone pick up their lost sunglasses. Security and staff are helpful without being overbearing, and everyone’s there for the same reason: to have fun and celebrate heavy music. It’s easy to strike up a conversation with strangers, whether you’re waiting for a show or grabbing a beer. You’ll feel part of the family from the moment you walk in.

Alcatraz doesn’t just put up a couple of banners and call it a day. The whole festival is designed to feel like a dystopian metal stronghold. From flaming torches at night to the newly added Alcatraz Prison inspired guard tower, the attention to detail is top-tier. There are themed areas to chill out or party in, cool photo ops all around, and enough mood lighting to make it feel like a metal wonderland after dark. You’re not just at a gig, you’re inside a world built for and by metalheads. It’s immersive, Instagram-worthy, and totally unique. Add to that the plenty of activities and animation there is to discover, with the Prison Guard mascot roaming the grounds with his lovely female guards or the every year returning Mad Max-esque group showing off their firespitting mechanical bird and dystopian vehicles!

One of the festival’s biggest strengths is its commitment to showcasing lesser-known talent alongside household names. The smaller stages often hide serious gems – bands from Belgium, the rest of Europe, or even farther afield that you might never have stumbled on otherwise. It’s a great place to catch the future of heavy music before they break out. Many fans leave with a new favorite act they hadn’t even heard of before the weekend started. If you love the thrill of musical discovery, this festival is a goldmine.

Alcatraz has always taken pride in boosting homegrown talent with the concept “Under One Flag”, and it shows. Every year, a strong showing of Belgian acts are given serious stage time and not just opening slots but prime positions to showcase what the local scene has to offer. From death metal to post-metal, metalcore to thrash, there’s real variety and quality among the Belgian bands on the bill. And it also shows in fans showing up for their countrymates in high numbers where it wouldn’t be the first time you can barely see the stage anymore if you didn’t get there early enough. It’s the perfect opportunity to support your own scene or get to know what Belgium has been brewing in its rehearsal rooms. You might be surprised how hard they hit.

Let’s be real: metal festivals aren’t always known for cleanliness. But Alcatraz breaks the stereotype with well-maintained grounds, plenty of waste disposal, and shockingly clean toilets (yes, even on day 3). Water refill points are easy to find, food and drink lines move efficiently, and everything from entry to exit is well-organized. It’s a festival that respects its visitors and wants them to have a smooth, enjoyable experience. You won’t waste your energy fighting the logistics, you can focus on the music and good times.

We always talk about Alcatraz like our separate chosen family we see at least once a year in August, but it goes even beyond that. Alcatraz is one of those rare festivals where generations collide in the best way possible. You’ll see teenagers discovering their first pits, metal parents sharing beers with their grown-up kids, or having their little kids (with the proper ear protection on) stuffed in front of them at the fences going nuts on the music, and even a few older veterans rocking battle jackets older than some bands on the bill. The crowd is diverse, inclusive, and united by love for the music. Whether you’re 16 or 60, you’ll find yourself welcomed with horns up. It’s proof that the metal community is alive, well, and stronger than ever.