72 hours at Tomorrowland after the fire that destroyed its main stage: "This is Españaland"

Live today, love tomorrow, and join forever. These are the mantras of Tomorrowland , a beautifully organized dream come true, filled with grandiloquent phrases that make perfect sense as soon as you step onto the grounds. It's like a fantasy that's hard to escape, because when you're at a festival like this, escapism takes over your mind and problems seem nonexistent. "Every corner of the festival contributes to the feeling of being in another world," Debby Wilsen, the festival's press officer, told EL PAÍS.

Although there were problems this year, none other than a fire that devastated the main stage of the world's best electronic music festival last week, two days before the opening of the nineteenth edition. But the magic of this event and its 16,000 employees meant that there was finally music in the grand amphitheater of Boom, Belgium, this first weekend of the festivities.

Of course, it wasn't the initial psychedelic mega-construction they'd been planning for two years, called Orbyz, 45 meters high and 160 meters long, but there was a stage. From the magical and paradoxically frozen universe, considering the fire that ultimately destroyed it, and from which a community living hidden beneath the ice and snow emerged, the center stage became an improvised black platform, sober but efficient. All thanks to the work of hundreds of people who didn't sleep so the crown jewel of the popular festival could be open to the public at 4:00 PM on Friday, and to the help of, among others, Metallica, who lent part of their equipment on the WorldWired tour to build the alternative setup. There was also no shortage of pyrotechnics, visuals, and confetti, although in the background and very present for the entire audience were the charred remains of the main stage and the cranes that removed part of the burned structure, something that thrilled attendees and DJs alike.

But as the artists and the audience alike said: “Tomorrowland is more than just a stage.” Tomorrowland has evolved from a local Belgian festival into a global entertainment brand, with a consolidated turnover of €244 million in 2024. It features a total of 15 circus-like spaces spread across De Schorre Park, amidst water lilies, smoke, and torches, filling a magical space with music that at times resembles a location from The Lord of the Rings . These are Freedom, The Rose Garden, House of Fortune, Elixir, Cage, The Rave Cave, Planaxis, Melodia, Rise, Atmosphere, CORE, Crystal Garden, The Great Librery, Moosebar, and The Gathering, where the inhabitants of Dreamville, the campsite where many attendees are staying, were welcomed to the festival last Thursday.

It's impressive to see the number of people packing into this space, the size of 63 football fields: 200,000 people each weekend, with an average age of 28. But it's even more impressive to see that they come from all over the world, up to 200 nationalities, one of the most notable being Spanish: "This is Españaland," chants could be heard throughout the festival.

The vast majority of them, dressed in their flags as capes and wearing the occasional movie-inspired outfit : from the typical Coachella look to the most futuristic styles, including sheer dresses and the most extravagant accessories. At Boom, no one makes a fool of themselves, and anything goes at a festival where attendees have been planning for months, even years, especially given the price and the cost of getting a ticket.

Tomorrowland is the experience any electronic music lover seeks to experience at least once in their lifetime. Two decades have passed since its creation back in 2005, and this Sunday, the first of two weekends concluded with spectacular closing acts from Amelie Lens, David Guetta, and Dimitri Vegas alongside Steve Aoki. It took place in its usual location, De Schorre Park in the Belgian city of Boom. The dance venue measures 340,000 square meters and hosts more than 850 artists over the six days of the event (July 18-20 and 25-27), a period that only increases for the inhabitants of Dreamville.

The best DJs are coming to the festival. “We respect our roots while constantly innovating, which is why you'll find techno, house, hardstyle, progressive, and much more. Our community is curious and open, and we're proud to evolve with them,” the organizers assure. This year, 10 of the 12 best DJs are starring: Martin Garrix, David Guetta, Dimitri Vegas, Like Mike, Alok, Armin Van Buuren, Timmy Trumpet, Hardwell, and Steve Aoki. And of course, the lineup showcases undeniable female power, led by the queens of electronic music: global techno stars Amelie Lens, Sara Landry, and Charlotte de Witte—who was the first artist to open and close the main stage on the same day. There's also the presence of two key Spanish artists on the global electronic scene: psytechno phenomenon Indira Paganotto, the highest-ranked Spanish artist according to the ranking of the specialized magazine DJ Mag ; as well as B-JONES, who was the first Spanish DJ to spin on the main stage at Tomorrowland in 2022, and who has repeated for the fourth time.

Festival representative Wilsen told this outlet that the rise of female talent “is one of the most exciting developments in recent years.” She insisted that it's not just about lineups, but about “representation and influence”: “These artists are transforming the genre in inspiring ways, and our stages reflect that shift. The 2022 lineup featured 15% female artists; now we have over 20%.” She also mentioned the importance of role models: “More and more young girls are signing up for workshops because they see representation on stage. Charlotte de Witte is a great role model for many.” De Witte, in fact, used to perform under the name Raving George at first because she wasn't convinced she would be booked otherwise, and ended up performing at Tomorrowland under that name.

In a previous interview, Jaén native B-JONES also told EL PAÍS that being a DJ isn't easy, and balancing her work with motherhood is even more so. She insists that people think it's all about partying, but that's far from the truth. She asserts that the key is order and passion, that her day starts at 6 a.m., and that she dedicates a lot of time to sets like the one at Tomorrowland: "That day I get over my nerves, there's a lot of pressure, it's a live show that's broadcast worldwide, you want everything to be perfect, every song. The month before, I'm like on a zip line; I want to put on my best show , I pay attention to every detail, it's like I'm getting married, I think about clothes and everything. It's a responsibility to get up on that stage in front of the entire industry, and I want to represent the Spanish people in the best way possible, to fly the flag high."

The truth is that this year's program boasts the largest Spanish presence in the festival's history. In addition to those already mentioned, the event has scheduled DJ Nano, Abel The Kid, Fonsi Nieto, Wade, Brian Cross, IMHAPPY, Shake Coconut, James de Torres, Sparrow & Barbossa, Valentin Huedo, Oriol Calvo, Unicorn On K, the Cence Brothers, and Suttlek. "No matter how many years I've been here, I'm very nervous; it's the best electronic music festival in the world. I'm looking forward to representing my country," Abel The Kid told EL PAÍS before his show this past Saturday. He also shared two keys to the success of the Spanish representation: the importance of Ibiza as the epicenter of electronic music and the fact that Spanish DJs are doing well. "Every year our presence continues to grow. In the end, we ask the public to notice us; we're used to people from abroad taking notice," he concluded.

Debby Wilsen explains that they work with an in-house musical team dedicated entirely to this task and that they collaborate closely with the hosts and curators of each stage. “It's a delicate balance between legends, innovative artists, and the talent of tomorrow. The curating process begins more than a year in advance and is guided by diversity, quality, and connection with the audience,” she concluded.

Dreamville, camping town, tell me?

Many of those who step onto the Tomorrowland lawn stay in Dreamville, a fictional city inhabited by 38,000 people for five days and each of the two weeks of the festival. This turns this gigantic camping area into a kind of city with all the amenities. Residents can enjoy a hair salon, a bakery, a Carrefour supermarket, a restaurant, and also tennis, padel, and table tennis courts. There's also a recovery area equipped with a gym, group workout classes, boxing, and yoga classes.

Located next to the venue in Rumst, it's the size of 148 football stadiums and has more than 900 showers and a thousand toilets. It offers up to 19 different accommodation packages. You can bring your own tent, choose to sleep with up to nine other friends, or lie down on an inflatable mattress in a pre-set tent. But at Tomorrowland, there's always a more luxurious option: accommodations with beds, a pool, or a restaurant. The highest level, only available to a privileged few, includes 24-hour reception staff, a garden, a private bathroom, and a stocked refrigerator.

Classical music, Avicii and sparkling wine

At Tomorrowland, the best electronic music was also heard in a classic style thanks to The Symphony of Unity, which once again brought live music to the Freedom Stage. This year, this special composition for the festival was performed twice in a row on one of the festival's indoor stages.

And ten years after the late Avicii's final performance, the festival has paid tribute to the Swede with an immersive experience where attendees can relive his legendary sets from 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. During those years, Avicii was one of the main stage fixtures at Tomorrowland, where each summer he shared boundary-breaking tunes like "Levels. " He played the song here in 2011, before it was released and became a global anthem.

“The magic is in the details. Even our trash cans are designed to inspire joy,” Wilsen, the festival’s official spokesperson, explained to EL PAÍS. “Every year, we reinvent every detail, from the stage design and artistic selection to the ice cubes and napkins,” she added. There is dedicated staff to collect cups and any other type of trash, an accurate recycling service, an automatic service that detects when a cup has been returned and re-enters the deposit into the account, and the friendliest faces you could ever see in an organization, always ready to help.

There's also a DJ and production school that later brings some talents to perform at the festival, with DJ learning camps in the days leading up to it, an official radio station, its own record label, and several official stores where you can buy Tomorrowland merchandise.

But the power of Tomorrowland, founded by brothers Manu and Michiel Beers, also reaches the French Alps and Brazil. Two versions of the festival have been held in these two locations for several years: a more wintery one held in March and a more tropical one in October, attracting a total of 800,000 attendees. Wilsen also stated that they would return to the United States with an innovative show at The Sphere in Las Vegas, and that they are preparing a large-scale edition of Tomorrowland in Asia for next year.

“Electronic music is universal. It transcends languages, borders, and ages. It unites people like few other genres can. Right now, with its fusion with pop, fashion, and culture, electronic music is thriving globally. It has always been popular in Belgium and neighboring countries like the Netherlands. Many artists are Belgian or from neighboring countries,” the festival's communications manager told this outlet.