Just a day after flames tore through the main stage of Tomorrowland, festival organisers have confirmed the world-renowned electronic music event will proceed as planned.
The fire erupted on Wednesday evening around 6pm local time, engulfing the festival’s largest stage — known as the Orbyz — in smoke and flame. It took emergency services swift action to contain the blaze, and fortunately, no injuries were reported.
“It is impossible to put into words what we’re feeling,” Tomorrowland said in a statement posted Thursday. “The Orbyz main stage wasn’t just a stage… it was a living, breathing world.”
DreamVille, the festival’s dedicated campsite, is already up and running. Thousands of campers have begun arriving, many still reeling from the shocking images of grey smoke clouding the skies above Boom, a small town just south of Antwerp.
Despite the dramatic loss, the festival will not be cancelled. “We’re focused on finding solutions,” organisers said, noting that they worked through the night to prepare alternatives.
On Thursday morning, a high-level emergency meeting was held with local government officials and safety experts. Discussions are ongoing about whether to dismantle the damaged structure ahead of the festival’s Friday launch.
“Cancelling the festival completely is the last thing we want to do,” said Rumst Mayor Jurgen Callaerts, speaking to local media.
Although the main stage is out of action, Tomorrowland still boasts 14 other performance areas — albeit on a smaller scale. If you’re wondering how the fire unfolded and what impact it had on last-minute preparations, this closer look at the Tomorrowland fire explains how the situation developed in real time.
Over the next two weekends, an estimated 400,000 festivalgoers are expected to descend on Boom. Major acts including David Guetta, Swedish House Mafia, Lost Frequencies, and Charlotte De Witte remain on the lineup.
Eyewitnesses described the fire as sudden and terrifying.
“We suddenly heard bangs and saw fire near the stage, a huge amount of fire,” one worker told Het Nieuwsblad.
“We were just putting the finishing touches on it. One more day and it would be finished. Four weeks of work… gone in half an hour.”
Some nearby residents were briefly evacuated on Wednesday as crews rushed to stop the fire from spreading to neighbouring homes and surrounding forest.
Investigations into the cause of the blaze are ongoing. The fire brigade has since declared the area safe for the event to move forward.
Tomorrowland, first held in 2005, has grown into the world’s largest electronic dance music festival. Each year, fans from all corners of the globe descend on Belgium to be part of the euphoric celebration.
This year, even amid adversity, that spirit appears unbroken.
