A massive fire broke out on the main stage of Tomorrowland on Wednesday, just two days before it was ready to start. The authorities have decided the festival will go on despite the major setback.
Boom, Belgium – An uncontained fire broke out on Wednesday evening, destroying the main stage of Tomorrowland. The festival was set to begin on Friday, July 18th. Despite the huge setback, the authorities have decided that the show will continue, adding they are “focused on finding solutions.”
“The Orbyz Mainstage of Tomorrowland Belgium 2025, a creation born from pure passion, imagination, and dedication, is no more,” the festival said on its website on Thursday morning, while confirming that no one was injured or killed in the blaze.
The local fire service has now declared the site safe. Whether they will demolish the main stage is yet to be decided. Tomorrowland organisers have opened up the campsite known as DreamVile. Further events planned in Brussels and Antwerp will take place in accordance to how they were previously planned.
Jugan Callaerts, the Mayor of Rumst, told the local media about a meeting that they will conduct to decide the alternative to the mainstage. “Cancelling the festival completely is the last thing we want to do,” he said.
There are 14 other stages at the festival. However, they are considerably smaller compared to their primary counterpart.
Arguably, the world’s largest electronic dance music festival brings together people from more than 200 countries every year. Last year, the headcount exceeded 4,00,000 over the two weekends. Fans are expecting hundreds of artists, including their favorites David Guetta, Lost Frequencies, Swedish House Mafia, Charlotte De Witte, and more!
“Four weeks of work… gone in half an hour” – A Festival Employee Grieves
“We were just putting the finishing touches on it. One more day and it would be finished…”
The cause of the fire is still not fully clear. However, from the video shared online, it seems like there might have been problems while testing the main stage’s fireworks cannons. A local firefighter, François van den Eynde, told reporters that the blaze “spread very quickly,” likely because of the “materials used” to build the stage, thus worsening the situation.
The incident left some Tomorrowland ticket holders disheartened. “The main stage is what gives the festival its atmosphere and is what makes it so special,” said Jules Adam, who is planning to revisit the festival once more after last year.
However, Tomorrowland spokesperson Debby Wilmsen said they were still going to make it a “wonderful” experience. “Our production team will now do everything they can to make it truly special,” added Wilmsen.
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Update: Organisers will unveil a new stage today at 16:00 CST, as an alternative to the main stage, pending final safety checks and weather conditions. Gates opened 14:00 CST today, July 18th, as scheduled. “WE WILL UNITE,” reads the official statement issued at 12:13 CEST today. “Our teams are working day and night, with heart and soul, to turn the impossible into reality: Tomorrowland Belgium 2025 will open doors at 14:00… Tomorrowland will unite, stronger than ever.”
