Tomorrowland Main Stage Catches Fire, But Festival Will Continue

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.” She added, “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.”

Wilmsen noted that all of the other Tomorrowland stages are still “intact,” adding, “The intention is for the festival to go ahead. But we can’t do magic, so it will be without the main stage. Our production team will now do everything they can to make it truly special.”

It’s still unclear what caused the fire. In some videos shared online, what sounded like fireworks could be heard popping off in the background as firefighters worked to contain the blaze. Sources told the Gazet van Antwerpen that something may have gone wrong while the main stage’s fireworks cannons were being tested.

A local firefighter, François van den Eynde, told reporters that the blaze “spread very quickly,” likely because of the “materials used” to build the stage. “Despite all our resources, it was impossible to stop something like that,” he said. “We tried to extinguish the fire, but as soon as you realize you’re not succeeding, you have to limit the damage to the rest of the festival site. That’s what we did. Everything is under control.”

In the 20 years since it began, Tomorrowland has become one of the biggest and most popular music festivals in the world, with last year’s event attracting an estimated 400,000 people. The 2025 lineup boasts numerous high-profile EDM stars, including Swedish House Mafia, David Guetta, Steve Aoki, Dillon Francis, Deadmau5, and Eric Prydz.