M.A.C.C. (Metal Against Child Cancer) is a benefit festival for the Belgian Child Cancer Foundation. Let's talk a little bit about the idea behind this festival!
Hello Roufaïda. To respond to your question, the idea of M.A.C.C. is to raise as much money as possible to donate to the child cancer fund. At the same time, we prove to outsiders who are not metal-minded that we are not all evil, that metalheads also have good hearts in the right place.
How did it all start?
It started back in 2008 when I had cancer myself. During my recovery, my youngest son came to visit me at the hospital. This made me think about “what if he was lying in the bed and I was on the doorstep?” So I started gathering information about children and cancer. The Belgian child cancer fund seems to depend on gifts. As a metal musician, the decision to organize a benefit metal festival was made. The first festival was in December 2009. I thought it would be only one festival, but the bands, crowd, media, etc. were so excited that I decided to go on with a second festival. And it seems like the train is still thundering over the rails.
How many editions have you done so far?
The first edition was in December 2009. Now on November 7, we will have the 7th edition. Even 7 years later, bands still send emails to me to let me know that they want to play at M.A.C.C. We have had international bands on our stage such as Izegrim, Diary About My Nightmares, Messenger, and Persistence, to name a few.
Are you thinking about making it worldwide? Are you thinking about making donations to child cancer foundations in other countries?
Like I said, I started it in 2009. Now the festival has grown to a well-known name in the metal scene in Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and France. Because we got bigger, I needed help. For a few years now, we have had three people organizing the festival. On the night of the festival, there are 16 volunteers handling the bar, backstage, parking and security, merchandise, etc. But we are not able to organize festivals for charity in other countries. We hope that we inspire other metalheads all over the globe to organize metal festivals for charity.
Let's now talk about the 2015 edition, which will be held on November 7, 2015. What can you tell us about it?
Well, 2015 will be like 2014. This means that there will only be Belgian bands on stage. The headliner is Ostrogoth. Maybe you know this band. Great band and great guys. It’s an honor for us to have them on our stage. The co-headliner is Fireforce. They played at the first edition of M.A.C.C. and when I asked them if they wanted to play again at M.A.C.C. 2015, they agreed immediately.
Where can people get their tickets?
People can make reservations or get pre-sale tickets on our website: www.metalagainstchildcancer.be and on Facebook. Pre-sale tickets are 10 euros, and at the door, they are 15 euros. So it is very cheap for 7 bands.
Thank you again, Mr. Brecht Debrouwere! Anything else you would like to add? Any specific message to our heroes, those who are fighting against cancer?
Come see, listen, and be surprised. We will keep the flame burning because every child deserves to live!
