A county Armagh couple have expressed their delight that their Tomorrowland experience will be going ahead this weekend despite fears it would be cancelled when the main stage went up in flames!
The world-renowned electronic dance music festival has been consistently making headlines over the last number of days after their “centrepiece” main stage caught fire on Wednesday (July 16).
The festival – which routinely welcomes in the region of 400,000 people across both weekends – is famed for its spectacular stages that take months – and sometimes years – of planning and construction.
So when videos and photos emerged of the main stage aflame… the response was one of total disbelief.
Armagh I spoke with a county Armagh couple who are set to attend the festival in Boom, Belgium next weekend to find out what the last few whirlwind days have been like as ticket holders.
They said: “This will be my second year attending Tomorrowland, after first going in 2023. The experience was so incredible that we knew straight away we wanted to return.
“This year, we were lucky enough to get Full Madness passes for weekend two from Friday to Sunday, which gives us access to the full three days of the festival in Boom, Belgium.”
However, when tragedy struck on Wednesday night, their excitement soon turned to trepidation.
They continued: “On Wednesday night, just over a week before we were due to go, shocking images and videos began circulating online showing the Tomorrowland main stage on fire.
“At first, we thought it had to be fake — the scale of destruction seemed unreal. The main stage is the festival’s centrepiece, with months of planning and construction behind it and a capacity of around 10,000 people.
“The next day was supposed to be the start of the festival for weekend one, with The Gathering taking place in Dreamville which is the camping area.
“Tomorrowland released a statement confirming the fire and expressing their devastation – thankfully, no one was hurt. They reassured fans that the rest of the festival would still go ahead and that Dreamville would remain open.”
Miraculously – and with sheer grit and determination – within the next 48 hours the crews were managing to pull together a new main stage!
“Over the next 24 hours, we were glued to Tomorrowland’s social media and app, waiting for updates,” they added.
“Initially, organisers considered splitting the crowd, letting campers attend Dreamville-based performances and sending the rest to the other 16 stages spread across the site.
“But in a huge effort, crews managed to build a new main stage in time for the opening day – videos online showed lorries rushing in with materials. The only change was a two-hour delay, with gates opening at 2pm instead of 12pm.
“We’re so impressed by how quickly and professionally the Tomorrowland team pulled everything together.
“The festival is going ahead this weekend, and that means we’ll be able to attend as planned next weekend — we can’t wait!”
In their most recent update – published Friday July 18 – the Tomorrowland team said: “Our teams are working day and night, with heart and soul, to turn the impossible into reality: Tomorrowland Belgium 2025 will open doors at 2pm.
“An alternative setup for the beloved Mainstage is planned to open at 4pm, pending any last-minute changes. All artists will perform as scheduled on all other stages as from 2pm.
“Tomorrowland will unite, stronger than ever!”
