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Tomorrowland's main stage destroyed in devastating fire

Tomorrowland's main stage destroyed in devastating fire

Independent16-07-2025
The main stage at the Tomorrowland festival in Boom, Belgium, has been severely damaged by a large fire.
The incident occurred before the annual festival, which draws tens of thousands of visitors, was due to begin on Friday.
Images showed flames and black smoke engulfing the stage and spreading to nearby woodland, with at least three-quarters of the stage believed to be damaged.
No one was injured in the fire, though around 1,000 staff members were on site at the time.
Organisers are now focused on finding solutions for the festival weekend, confirming that DreamVille and Global Journey activities will proceed as planned.
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How over-tourism turned a chic Paris neighbourhood into a theme park
How over-tourism turned a chic Paris neighbourhood into a theme park

Telegraph

time21 minutes ago

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How over-tourism turned a chic Paris neighbourhood into a theme park

Michèle Barrière has had a lifelong love affair with Montmartre, living a stone's throw from the Moulin Rouge for the past 30 years. She has frequented its ivy-clad cafes and pastel houses for twice as long and has always embraced the changes to her beloved 'butte', as locals call the hilltop area with sweeping views of Paris. 'But enough is enough,' said the 72-year-old as she marched past souvenir shops and tour groups with her corgi, Valentine. 'Montmartre has become an amusement park, and we are the attractions. Soon they'll be throwing us peanuts,' she scoffed. 'It's Disneyland.' With its cobbled streets, windmills, vineyard, funicular railway, and bohemian history, Montmartre has long been popular with foreign visitors. The white-domed Sacré-Coeur basilica and the portrait artists of Place du Tertre have been a magnet for decades. But many among the district's 27,000 residents now say cohabitation with millions of tourists, who outnumber them 423 to one, has reached breaking point. Last year, the Sacré-Coeur was the most visited monument in France, ahead of the Eiffel Tower, with 11 million visitors. Montmartre now has an even denser tourist zone per capita than Venice. 'It has got totally out of hand. I have nothing against tourists per se, but now my prevailing feeling is one of hostility,' said Ms Barrière, an author of historic and culinary detective works. 'Sometimes I can't even reach my front door due to these hordes.' To prove her point, she shooed a tour group coming up the Rue de l'Abreuvoir with a royal wave as if they were pesky pigeons. Valentine, the corgi, looked on placidly. Eric Durand, a photographer, resident and member of the Association for the Defence of Montmartre and the 18th Arrondissement, said tourism had gone into overdrive since the end of the Covid lockdowns. 'Before, it was mainly felt on weekends when the weather was nice. Since the end of the pandemic, and even more so since the Olympic Games [last summer], it's been like this all year round,' referring to the crowds of tourists outside his home. He said the influx of tourists started with the 2001 cult movie Amélie. Tourists continue to flock to the Café des Deux Moulins, where scenes showing the heroine at work were shot. The Netflix series Emily in Paris brought even more tourists, who seek out sites that feature in the show such as La Maison Rose restaurant, or the Wall of Love in a garden off the Place des Abbesses with 'I love you' written in a myriad of languages on ceramic tiles. 'We saw it on the show and on TikTok so we thought it would be fun to come,' said Jen Park, a New Yorker who posed with her husband Bruce in a pit-stop during their trip to attend a wedding in Paris. 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I tried a silent disco tour through Newport at Big Splash
I tried a silent disco tour through Newport at Big Splash

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timean hour ago

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I tried a silent disco tour through Newport at Big Splash

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Europe's best holiday city revealed - with incredible views, £1.30 pizza and cheap flights from the UK
Europe's best holiday city revealed - with incredible views, £1.30 pizza and cheap flights from the UK

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

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Europe's best holiday city revealed - with incredible views, £1.30 pizza and cheap flights from the UK

Europe's best holiday city has been revealed, with voters praising the idyllic location for its incredible views, budget-friendly pizza and affordable flights from the UK. In a new survey conducted by luxury magazine Travel + Leisure, readers cast votes for their favourite worldwide city, with the Italian hotspot of Florence taking the crown as Europe's most loved. Frequented by between 10 and 16million holidaymakers each year, sunseekers eagerly flock to the Tuscan city due to its rich Renaissance art and architecture, walkable city center and delicious food. Described by Travel + Leisure as a 'must-see thanks to its 'artistic treasures', 'superlative shopping' and 'wide selection of hotels', Florence, often known simply as 'The Beautiful', gained an overall reader score of 90.08. Taking the top spot in Europe and 11th in the world, Florence even beat the popular European cities of Seville, Spain, Instanbul, Turkey and fellow Italian city of Rome. Once named by SerSace as 'the most beautiful city in the world', travellers seeking a romantic European getaway are in luck due to its historical charm and picturesque scenery. Visitors can gaze at some of the world's most gorgeous architecture, including the Duomo cathedral, which even contains its own piazza. Meanwhile, the Pagliazza Tower, which dates back to the sixth or seventh century, acts as one of Europe's most captivating squares. Florence is frequented by between 10 and 16million holidaymakers each year, with sunseekers eagerly flocking to the Tuscan city due to its rich Renaissance art and architecture, walkable city center and delicious food Once named by SerSace as 'the most beautiful city in the world', travellers seeking a romantic European getaway are in luck due to its historical charm and picturesque scenery For those looking to further indulge themselves in the Tuscan culture, the city is also home to some of the world's most iconic and historic artwork, including pieces by Michelangelo, Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci. The Galleria dell 'Accademia di Firenze, the location of Michelangelo's David, is a five-metre-high marble sculpture that serves as one the world's most famous artistic masterpieces. From the gallery, it is just a seven minute stroll to the city's 1200's cathedral, a major feature of Florence's skyline. The city's iconic medieval bridge - Ponte Vecchio, is one of Florence's most visited attractions. It was the only bridge in Florence to survive WWII and is famed for the shops that line its sides. Food lovers will also be surprised by how easily tourists can get their hands on a slice of authentic Italian pizza for just £1.50, while pasta dishes can also be bought for a mere £5. Famous for its gelato, signature local deliacies include the negroni cocktail and ribollita soup. Just last week, Florence was named the world's most walkable city due to its compact layout and pedestrian-friendly streets. Research undertaken by financial website Insider Monkey saw Florence race to the top spot, surpassing locations such as Madrid, Porto and Hamburg. Food lovers will also be surprised by how easily tourists can get their hands on a slice of authentic Italian pizza for just £1.50, while pasta dishes can also be bought for a mere £5. Flights from the UK run daily and from £44, with a flight time of just two hours With high praise awarded for its 'history and timeless architecture', the city was said to be explorable within just a two-hour window, as its hidden gems are easily accessible by foot. The study also spoke favourably about the city's good air quality and safety levels. Accessing the charming city from the UK could also not be easier, with daily flights from London's Heathrow Airport to Florence-Peretola Airport launching in 2023. With a flight time of just two hours and return fares starting from £44, there are up to 69 flights from the UK running a week, according to Skyscanner. Indeed, for those based outside of the capital, several other UK airports also offer direct routes to the nearby Italian city of Pisa, just an hour's train ride away. It is even possible to get to Florence by train from the UK. Simply hop on the Eurostar to Paris before making a change to Milan and then catching a final train to Florence.

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