BOOM — Just days before the iconic Tomorrowland music festival was set to welcome over 100,000 electronic music fans from around the globe, a devastating fire tore through its main stage on Wednesday evening, completely destroying the structure.
The blaze broke out at the ‘De Schorre’ terrain in Boom, the site of the internationally renowned event, and quickly engulfed the main stage. Festival staff were promptly evacuated, and no injuries were reported, according to organisers and local authorities.
Although the cause of the fire has not yet been officially confirmed, eyewitnesses reported hearing the sound of fireworks shortly before the flames erupted. Sources have suggested the fire may have resulted from an accident during the testing of fireworks cannons, but this remains unverified by organisers or emergency responders.
Spokesperson for the festival, Debby Willemsen, addressed the media on Wednesday evening, expressing sorrow over the loss of the main stage — a structure that had taken years to design and build. “This is terrible. It’s a stage that has taken years to develop,” she said. “There have been no reports of casualties. Everyone was able to leave the site safely.”
Despite the damage, Tomorrowland organisers stressed that the festival will proceed as planned. “We are continuing with preparations,” Willemsen confirmed. “Tomorrow, we expect to welcome 38,000 festival-goers to our Dreamville campsite, and they will receive a very warm welcome.”
Festival activities scheduled for Thursday in Brussels will go ahead as well.
Firefighters from the Rivierenland fire zone responded in large numbers, with around 100 personnel on site, deploying ladder trucks and engines to control the intense blaze, which was made more difficult by strong winds. A secondary fire ignited in a nearby home on the same evening but was swiftly extinguished by emergency services.
The security perimeter around the main stage has since been lifted, and demolition of the damaged structure is now underway. “It’s a tangled mess of twisted scaffolding, similar to the aftermath of the Notre-Dame fire,” said fire zone major François Van den Eynde, underlining the complexity and danger of the operation.
Organisers and security services are meeting Thursday morning to discuss next steps. Although the main stage is no longer viable, Willemsen indicated that alternative solutions are being explored with input from experts. Other stages and infrastructure on the festival grounds remain intact.
The Dreamville campsite in Rumst opened its gates to attendees as planned, a testament to the festival’s determination to carry on despite the setback.
As the festival’s first weekend kicks off on Friday, Tomorrowland’s spirit of resilience and creativity will be put to the test.
