Tomorrowland organisers in race to build NEW stage after horror fire – as festival to begin today at delayed time
Organisers of the Belgian music festival - one Europe's largest - vow the party will kick off on Friday with or without a main stage, and just two hours behind schedule.
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Some 400,000 people are expected to attend the electronic dance music festival over two weekends - with of thousands already at the site in the town of Boom, south of Antwerp.
Years of creativity and craftsmanship had gone into building this year's main stage set piece - and it was set to be spectacular.
Heartbreakingly, the whole lot went up in flames just two days before some of the world's biggest DJ names were set to play there - including David Guetta and Swedish House Mafia.
A furnace engulfed the entire structure, leaving nothing but a charred skeleton.
Thankfully, nobody was injured in the blaze.
The organisers were quick to confirm the festival would proceed, though admitted it would likely be without the crown jewel.
But now, the festival says it is racing to pull in a new main stage in time to open on Friday, two hours later than originally planned.
If they do not manage to source a new stage, then the festival will still open at the same time, but just in a reduced capacity - before opening fully on Saturday.
At a press conference on Thursday evening, Tomorrowland spokeswoman Debby Wilmsen said they hoped a "nice, new stage" would be ready for Friday.
If that fails, then the campsite, called Dreamville, and the festival grounds will be separate off for Friday.
Artists who had been due to perform on the main stage will instead take to the Gathering Stage, which is in Dreamville.
Campers would not be able to access the rest of the festival grounds until Saturday in this case.
Debbie reflected on the challenge ahead in comments made on Thursday, saying: "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."
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"All of the other stages are still intact.
"The intention is for the festival to go ahead. But we can't do magic, so it will be without the main stage," she added.
The first weekend of the festival runs from July 18 to 20, followed by a second from July 25 to 27.
The exact cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
But sources told Gazet van Antwerpen that the fire may have started while the main stage's fireworks cannons were being tested.
What is Tomorrowland?
TOMORROW is a globally renowned electronic dance music festival held annually in Boom, Belgium.
It features performances by some of the world's top DJs and artists, showcasing a wide range of electronic music.
The festival is famous for its elaborate stage designs, immersive experiences, and vibrant atmosphere.
Tomorrowland began in 2005 after being created by Belgian brothers Manu and Michiel Beers.
It has gone on to be one of Europe's largest festivals, attracting around 400,000 guests from over 200 countries.
It also features DreamVille which is the festival's glamorous camping arena.
Due to its popularity, Tomorrowland has even expanded to put on events across globe.
These include TomorrowWorld, Tomorrowland Brasil, and Tomorrowland Winter in the French Alps.
In several online videos, what sounds like fireworks can be heard going off as the flames spread.
Local firefighter François van den Eynde described the scene as nearly impossible to control.
"The blaze spread very quickly," he told Rolling Stone, "likely because of the materials used."
He added: "Despite all our resources, it was impossible to stop something like that.
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