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











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