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Tomorrowland main stage burnt to a crisp in devastating fire, but the show will go on

Tomorrowland main stage burnt to a crisp in devastating fire, but the show will go on

All of the other stages are still 'intact', but organisers say they 'can’t do magic' to repair the main stage.
17 Jul, 2025

The main stage of the Tomorrowland music festival in Belgium caught fire on Wednesday evening, just two days before the event was set to begin.

The festival, however, will proceed as planned. The electronic dance music (EDM) festival is set to start Friday, with an estimated 400,000 people expected to attend over two weekends, reported the BBC.

In a statement shared on Instagram, organisers wrote, “Due to a serious incident and fire on the Tomorrowland Mainstage, our beloved Mainstage has been severely damaged.” They confirmed that no one was injured or killed in the blaze.

Tomorrowland will open its DreamVille campsite on Thursday where several events and performances will take place. Additional events planned in Brussels and Antwerp will also go ahead “as planned,” organisers added.

About the rest of the festival, which is set to run July 18 through 20, organisers said, “We are focused on finding solutions for the festival weekend. More updates and detailed information will be communicated as soon as possible.”

At a press conference, the Rolling Stone reported that Tomorrowland spokesperson Debby Wilmsen said, “Years of love and passion have gone into building that stage. Those teams are devastated.” She added, “Tomorrow, 38,000 festival-goers will arrive, we’re really looking forward to that, and we’re going to give them a warm welcome. We’re going to make it a wonderful festival.”

Wilmsen noted that all of the other Tomorrowland stages are still “intact,” adding, “The intention is for the festival to go ahead. But we can’t do magic, so it will be without the main stage. Our production team will now do everything they can to make it truly special.”

Hundreds of artists are due to perform at Tomorrowland in Belgium, including David Guetta, Lost Frequencies, Swedish House Mafia and Charlotte De Witte.

The cause of the fire remains unclear. In some videos shared online, what sounded like fireworks could be heard popping off in the background as firefighters worked to contain the blaze.

Sources told the Gazet van Antwerpen that something may have gone wrong while the main stage’s fireworks cannons were being tested.

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, reported the Rolling Stone.

“Despite all our resources, it was impossible to stop something like that,” he said. “We tried to extinguish the fire, but as soon as you realise you’re not succeeding, you have to limit the damage to the rest of the festival site. That’s what we did. Everything is under control.”

In the 20 years since its launch, Tomorrowland has become the biggest EDM music festival in the world, with last year’s event attracting an estimated 400,000 people. The 2025 lineup boasts numerous high-profile EDM stars. The lineup also includes Steve Aoki, Dillon Francis, Deadmau5, and Eric Prydz.

Comments

Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad Jul 17, 2025 12:12pm
The real spirit warrants that irrespective of the internal and external environment, the show must go on.
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Laila Jul 17, 2025 02:27pm
Images, come on no, some more relevant news would be appreciated. How many Pakistanis know of or attend this rave festival or know of Beyonce? You know there are many relevant news in the Pakistani arts and celebrity scene, as well as subcontinental/Asian more relatable to Pakistanis. Also it would be nice if you could follow up on ongoing cases and perhaps social initiatives.
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P Jul 17, 2025 02:33pm
@Laila lots of Pakistanis know about Tomorrowland? it's really famous?? why do you think they wouldn't know just because you don't?
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Sal_the_Reader Jul 17, 2025 05:30pm
@Laila Regardless of how many locals know about ‘Tomorrowland’ or not, this is a news site about local/world culture and arts, which is aiming to do just that with this article. Plenty of pages dedicated to KLF (Lit. Fest.) and LLF in Dawn and elsewhere already.
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Laila Jul 19, 2025 03:19am
@P No, "lots of Pakistanis" do not know about Tomorrowland. Most will be hard pressed to explain what a rave is and where Belgium is. You seem to have confused Pakistani elite and privileges segments (minorities) and Pakistani diaspora with regular average educated Pakistanis (majority). Just because you are privileged and know of European rave festivals does not mean other Pakistanis do. Go out and ask random Pakistanis in the street in any Pakistani city and you will see, what I mean. Relatability relates to majority. Not fringe or minorities.
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Laila Jul 19, 2025 11:40am
@Sal_The_Reader @P Would I be completely wrong in presuming you both are Images staffers? There are give aways, so it's pretty obvious you are defending your work. Anyways just keep news relateable for most Pakistanis. Elite and priveleged segments don't make up majority of Pakistanis. Go out in any city and ask random people on the streets and they won't know Tomorrowland, rave is or where Belgium is. Pakistani/South Asian arts scene is not limited to LLF or KLF so not sure why you presume I am interested that.
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