The Quality Nights label has launched a campaign to raise awareness about hearing risks at festive venues, it announced on Tuesday.
The initiative, titled ‘Decibels: Protect Your Ears’, aims to educate the public on the dangers of sound exposure and promote simple practices to safeguard hearing while enjoying music and festivities.
Created by the non-profit organisation Modus Vivendi, the campaign is being rolled out in Quality Nights-certified venues, including bars, clubs, and concert halls.
In partnership with Court-Circuit, the federation of contemporary music venues and organisations in Wallonia and Brussels, the campaign provides reusable and single-use earplugs at events, alongside posters and informational brochures. These materials share advice, such as wearing hearing protection, keeping a distance from noise sources, and taking regular breaks.
The campaign highlights growing concerns about hearing damage worldwide. The World Health Organization warns that by 2050, approximately 2.5 billion people could experience hearing issues. That's equivalent to one in four persons globally. Key contributors include repeated exposure to high noise levels at social events and prolonged headphone use.
At the local level, noise pollution from transport is another source of concern.
Recent data from Brussels Environment indicates that the average Brussels resident loses six months of healthy living due to noise exposure.
