Lantern Festival Events in Belgium Appear to Be a Scam; Organizers vanish After Ticket Sales
Antwerp, Belgium – A series of advertised “Lantern Festivals” planned for cities across Belgium are raising serious concerns, with authorities confirming no permits were ever requested or granted for teh events. Advertisements heavily promoted the festival, scheduled for October 18th in Antwerp, circulating widely on social media, including TikTok.
The Ghent police confirmed to news outlets that thay received no application for the event. Acting Mayor Hafsa El-Bazioui stated the city would not file a complaint as ghent was not directly involved, and promotional material referencing the event has since been removed.
Further investigation revealed the purported Brussels location was actually a sports domain belonging to Sport Vlaanderen in hofstade, Zemst (Flemish Brabant). Sport Vlaanderen confirmed receiving an application, but rejected it due to the inability to contact the organizers. They also noted that the use of wish balloons – a common feature of lantern festivals – has been prohibited in Flanders since 2019.
Tickets for the events were being sold for €60, but the operation appears to have abruptly halted. The Federal Public Service Economy (FPS Economy) has already received over sixty complaints from ticket purchasers. The event website is now offline, and ticket sales have ceased.
Organizers have seemingly disappeared, leaving ticket holders stranded. The FPS Economy and local police are advising anyone who purchased tickets to file a report.
