Tomorrowland Belgium main stage fire: Is the festival going ahead? What caused the blaze to erupt - latest updates
Tomorrowland has issued an urgent update on whether the music festival in Belgium will go ahead.
According to a spokesperson, Tomorrowland will go ahead as planned, even after the main stage caught fire on Wednesday, July 16, one day before the massively popular EDM festival in Belgium was set to begin. In a statement shared on Instagram, organizers wrote “due to a serious incident and fire on the Tomorrowland Mainstage, our beloved Mainstage has been severely damaged.”
They also confirmed that no one was injured or killed in the blaze. As it stands, Tomorrowland will open its DreamVille campsite on Thursday, July 17, where several events and performances will take place.
Additional events planned in Brussels and Antwerp will also go ahead “as planned,” organizers said. As for the rest of the festival, which is set to run July 18 through 20 (with a second weekend slated for July 24 through 27), organizers 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 (via Gazet van Antwerpen), Tomorrowland spokesperson Debby Wilmsen said:“Years of love and passion have gone into building that stage. Those teams are devastated.
“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.”
As per Belgian news website VRT News, the fire started on the right side of the main stage and spread rapidly to engulf the entire stage. The main stage is the centerpiece of the festival and features a theme-based installation. As of now, the cause of the fire has not been determined. The US Sun reported that local residents reported hearing fireworks before the fire started, but a word from the authorities on the cause is still awaited.