Simply 36 hours earlier than Tomorrowland 2025 was set to open for its first weekend, disaster struck. A large fireplace that reportedly broke out throughout a pyrotechnics check ripped via the pageant’s mainstage, decreasing Orbyz, a legendary ice kingdom that was years within the making, to charred ruins inside minutes. The unintended blaze forged a darkish cloud over one of many world’s most iconic EDM festivals, leaving everybody asking: may the magic nonetheless go on?
Simply over every week after the hearth, as I stood on a hill overlooking the brand new mainstage, moments earlier than some 200,000 folks flooded in for Tomorrowland’s second weekend, I couldn’t assist however ask myself the identical query.
The brand new mainstage was primarily a protracted LED wall with components taken from a Metallica stage, flanked by jutting truss towers and a semi-canopy that hardly hid the destruction left behind by the hearth. Sven Moresi from the Tomorrowland crew recalled the chaos of that night time—selections made hour by hour, with the visuals crew reprogramming results at the same time as firefighters have been nonetheless attempting to quell the blaze. As he spoke, my eyes locked on a salvaged a part of what was as soon as Orbyz’s superb ice towers, now clinging to jagged scaffolding and cranes like a remnant of resilience. It was a kind of bittersweet sights that made my coronary heart sink and swell with satisfaction suddenly.
As I watched the primary festival-goers shuffle in to French Home beats—a particular Dawn set by Bob Sinclar and his daughter Paloma Le Friant—underneath an LED canvas that merely learn “Unite,” I knew I had my reply.
Dedicated to the dance
As quickly as you enter Tomorrowland, there’s a relentless positivity that thumps in sync with the sounds spilling out from each nook. For a lot of, Tomorrowland isn’t a pageant, however a pilgrimage, the place the love for digital music borders on reverence. And this unwavering devotion was evident even a day earlier than Weekend 2’s official opening, when an remoted thunderstorm threatened to dampen festivities at The Gathering, Tomorrowland’s kickoff get together held at its campsite, Dreamville. Regardless of the downpour, greater than 30,000 folks braved the climate to revel within the rhythm as they stomped via the soaked, mushy floor in ponchos and boots, bobbing alongside to the thunderous bass of shock units by Kaskade, Alok, and Novah. Regardless of the muck throughout us, hundreds grinned via it, their faces streaked with mud, garments damp with drizzle and spilled beer, and fists pumping within the air. Come fireplace or storm, the spirit of Tomorrowland trudged on.
All of the world’s a stage
A giant a part of Tomorrowland’s enchantment is its spectacular stage manufacturing, every one a feat of intricate craftsmanship and creativeness. Based in 2005 by brothers Manu and Michiel Beers, the pageant got down to carry digital music out of gritty underground areas and right into a fantasy realm constructed inside De Schorre in Growth, Belgium. Now in its nineteenth version, Tomorrowland had 16 staggering levels, every tailor-made to the style it housed—from techno and psytrance to large room, drum and bass, and hardstyle.
Every day at Tomorrowland was a discovery path of latest sounds and levels. The Nice Library stage featured steampunk-esque palatial constructions, 3D floating pages, and swishing star trails that felt straight out of the Hogwarts playbook. Right here, I found Italian rapper BRESH’s model of introspective melodic rap on Day 1, and received swept away by a lush, sunset-tinged melodic home set by Lost Frequencies on Day 2.
Then, there was Environment, a custom-built tent devoted to techno, lined with razor-thin LED strips that ignited in good synchrony as I bore witness to the likes of CARV, Bad Boombox, and Adam Beyer unleashing their seismic drops.
There was additionally The Rose Backyard, the place an animatronic dragon loomed massive, winking and exhaling plumes of smoke as ravers moved to sounds of psytrance and high-BPM hardstyle.
On the Crystal Backyard, a floating stage design impressed by an enchanted swamp, I discovered myself leaping uncontrollably to FISHER’s chaotic model of electro home, with fountains erupting, luminescent lights pulsing, and pyrotechnics roaring behind him as he pumped up the the group with tracks like “World Maintain On” with Bob Sinclair and “Take It Off” with Aatig.
However maybe my favourite was the Freedom stage—a collaborative creation with Budweiser that served as a high-tech escape room of sound and light-weight, anchored in a “Floating Sky” of 210 video tiles and 300 sq. meters of LED screens engineered to reflect the music’s each thump and twist. I lodged myself inside this raver’s sanctuary lengthy sufficient to look at Eric Prydz shut it down on Day 1 with a visual spectacle of epic proportions, full with glowing orbs, area turtles, and sci-fi robots levitating to the sound of his progressive tech home cuts.
On Day 2, ARTBAT delivered a full-blown visual onslaught as sculptural 3D figures hovered throughout the stage, laser rain sliced via the air, and the group cheered in collective awe at their electrifying renditions of tracks like Empire of the Solar’s “We Are the Individuals” and Gotye’s “Anyone That I Used to Know.”
One of the memorable feats of musical mastery and shared emotion I witnessed on the Freedom Stage—and maybe throughout all of Tomorrowland—was the Symphony of Unity, a efficiency piece that includes dwell classical musicians that reimagined Tomorrowland’s best hits into sweeping orchestral compositions. From Eric Prydz’s “Generate” to Sebastian Ingrosso’s “Payback” to Hans Zimmer’s “Tomorrowland Hymn”, every monitor was layered with hovering strings, delicate harp prospers, and soul-piercing vocals that surged via the area like a cosmic cathedral of sound. Behind them, visuals of pageant reminiscences lit up the LED partitions, illuminating with each crescendo earlier than exploding into one million shards of pixels at each drop. The power within the room shifted: eyes welled with tears as strangers swayed collectively in what can solely be described as a fugue state. It was a kind of uncommon moments that really makes you realise simply how a lot music can transfer the world.
A lot of the fun of Tomorrowland additionally got here from wandering via its nooks and crannies, hoping to probability upon a wholly new stage. You may stumble into the Rave Cave, a slender tunnel-turned-dancefloor the place techno echoes off stone partitions; groove to deep home and tribal units on the Elixir Stage, a lotus-inspired gazebo perched on the fringe of the water; or get locked inside The Cage, a warehouse-style pit throbbing with industrial techno. Every one felt like a secret portal right into a surreal new world throughout the pageant’s shapeshifting universe.
A number of levels from earlier Tomorrowland editions additionally returned in revamped type, together with the large conch-shaped Planaxis from the 2018 Metropolis of Planaxis theme, the harp-motif Melodia by Corona from the 2015 Secret Kingdom of Melodia theme, and the forest-ensconced, split-head CORE stage, recent off its personal world tour.
The magic is within the music
It wasn’t all dragon smoke and holographic mirrors, although. With out the bells and whistles, the primary stage might need appeared just like the barest of the lot. However the exuberant power of its performers greater than made up for it.
In anticipation of certainly one of Day 1’s most coveted units, I bolted to the Mainstage to safe a first-rate spot amid the 100,000-strong crowd simply 20 minutes earlier than John Summit—the bed room DJ turned world quake-maker—ascended it. As he teased the group with a cheeky smile and a sluggish construct into his viral hit “The place You Are,” boy, did he ship. His set was a heady rush of effervescent exhilaration, layering loops of infectious tracks like “Mild Years” and “Focus” right into a bursting carnival of confetti and streamers—by no means as soon as wiping the large grin off his face.
It was a tricky act to observe. Fortunately, that activity fell to seasoned professionals. Enter Swedish House Mafia, the legendary digital music supergroup comprising Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso, and Steve Angello, who delivered a high-octane set that reminded many people why they dominated our 2010s-era mixtapes. Their efficiency pulsed with giddy, nostalgic pleasure, lighting up the sky with fireworks and synth stabs as they belted out anthems like “Don’t You Fear Youngster,” “Save the World” and “Reload.” You possibly can really feel the euphoric love radiating via the group, transcending language and cultural obstacles as we danced and screeched their lyrics in unison.
What baffled me most was that even with near 100,000 of us squished collectively, nobody appeared to care. Strangers cheerfully fanned each other and parted methods like a magnetic sea when somebody tried to squeeze previous them. Among the many most heartwarming sights was a bunch of individuals lifting their pal in a wheelchair above the group to present him a front-row view of what was unfolding on stage. It was the uncommon sort of togetherness that may make even a large crowd really feel like essentially the most intimate shared expertise.
Day 2 introduced with it a string of hard-hitting units. Whereas I wasn’t capable of make it again in time for underground heavyweight Anyma’s highly anticipated mainstage moment, I managed to catch the tail finish of Belgian brothers Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike’s pulsating performance, simply earlier than they handed over the reins to techno queen Amelie Lens. Although I’ve seen Amelie in motion a few instances earlier than, she took to the mainstage with an overwhelming confidence that felt renewed, sending tremors down the dance ground together with her signature mix of darkish, pounding techno.
Come Day 3, it was clear we have been in for a tear-jerker. EDM titans like Steve Aoki and Martin Garrix took over the mainstage with an urge for food for delirious destruction. In one of many weekend’s most heartfelt moments, Aoki paused his regular cake-slinging antics to pay tribute to Avicii with a spin of the late DJ’s monitor “See You Once more.” And for a quick, breathtaking stretch, hundreds of ravers stood completely nonetheless, marinating in emotion. Garrix took that emotion a step additional with a particular mashup of his basic “Starlight” with Avicii’s “Ready For Love,” giving the crowds a send-off that felt really worthy of a finale.
Constructing a brand new tomorrow
Past the music and mind-bending stage manufacturing, Tomorrowland deserves credit score for its sustainably crafted ecosystem, modern tech, and spectacular array of over 400 meals choices.
One key instance of the pageant’s sustainable practices is its reusable cup system, built-in with RFID expertise, which permits cups to be returned at designated factors all through the venue. Every return even earns festivalgoers two Pearls, Tomorrowland’s inside forex, making a round reward system.
A giant a part of what makes the sound at Tomorrowland really feel such as you’re enveloped contained in the music somewhat than simply listening to it is because of its funding in cutting-edge tech like Areal. Backed by the pageant’s Labs of Tomorrow initiative, Areal makes use of an algorithm known as Upmix to show customary stereo audio into an immersive, 3D soundscape, making each kick, synth, and vocal sound clearer and crisper.
You’ll additionally discover meals stalls and Michelin chef-curated eating places scattered throughout the pageant grounds, serving up the whole lot from Tomorrowland-themed smashed burgers and butterfly-shaped Belgian waffles to vegan Balls & Glory, Belgian fries, and Thai curries, all in compostable plates. Within the Papillon part, festivalgoers can recline on loungers whereas sipping Sola Vida—Tomorrowland’s specifically crafted glowing wine co-created with Spanish vineyard Vallformosa, stamped with the signature butterfly emblem.
By means of the Tomorrowland Basis, the pageant helps world academic and artistic initiatives, partnering with organizations like Kolkata’s Ek Tara Basis and Nepal’s Sekha to construct music faculties and empower underprivileged communities via the humanities.
Nonetheless, one of many pageant’s most obtrusive oversights was the dearth of South Asian illustration on its lineup, particularly at a time when international locations like India are rapidly rising as energy gamers within the world digital music scene. For an occasion that prides itself on being an inclusive celebration of music, it felt like a missed alternative to actually mirror the range of its viewers.
Nonetheless, in a yr when disaster threatened to upstage the festivities, Tomorrowland 2025 proved that its spirit was constructed to endure. What may have been a narrative of setbacks grew to become certainly one of power, tireless effort, and a strong reminder that nothing unites us fairly like music can. The magic was, actually, alive and dancing up a storm.