"We came in festival clothes and nothing else, so we couldn't go anywhere," a festival goer who travelled from the UK to Belgium told The Cube.
ADVERTISEMENTDonning festival clothes, sunglasses and an air of anticipation, music lovers were left disappointed in Belgium after the VestiVille festival was cancelled at the last minute - leaving throngs of people confused at the campsite.
With headline acts such as Jason Derulo, A$AP Rocky and Cardi B, the festival was gearing up for its sixth year although it's first at Lommel, Belgium, having moved location.
The event was due to begin on Friday, June 28 and run through the weekend, but when festival goers arrived at the site, they soon discovered that the event had been cancelled. The rapper, A$AP Rocky, was due to perform as an opening act but posted on Twitter saying that the show had been cancelled due to "security and infrastructure concerns".
On a Facebook post a half hour later, Vestiville credited the cancellation to the Mayor of Lommel, adding that "after consultation with security services and A$AP Rocky's security officer, it was decided that the safety of the artist and the public could not be guaranteed."
Crowds that had already arrived booed their dissatisfaction, having travelled to the festival to find it would not take place. Speaking to The Cube, Lauren from the UK said she had personally spent over £400 (€446) overall for the weekend, between flights, accommodation and festival tickets. She travelled with two other friends, with the three claiming to have spent over £1000 (€1,116). "We came in festival clothes and nothing else, so we couldn't go anywhere," Lauren told The Cube.
US-based ticket company Eventbrite told The Cube that they will be refunding the full price of the tickets to all those who bought them from their site.
"The negotiations in this regard with the organisers of the Vestiville are still ongoing and could take a few more weeks. However, to at least take care of the frustrated visitors, we have decided to reimburse all tickets purchased through Eventbrite, regardless of what the organisers will decide.
So the participants can expect their refunds to appear on their credit card or bank statement within seven business days," the Eventbrite spokesperson said in a statement sent to Euronews.
The Cube reached out to the Mayor of Lommel and VestiVille for comment and they did not respond to the request at the time of publication.
Click on the player above as Rosie in The Cube gives more details.