Prime Highlights
- Tomorrowland “Orbyz” main stage was 75% gutted by fire the evening before the 2025 festival opening.
- The organizers made a promise that the event would still go on as planned, and all precautions were in place.
Key Facts
- The fatal fire accident occurred on July 16, 2025, at Belgium’s De Schorre park before the event.
- There were no fatalities reported, and DreamVille campsite activities are not affected.
Key Background
Tomorrowland 2025 location in Boom, Belgium, was engulfed in flames at about 6 p.m. on the evening of July 16 and razed its iconic middle stage, “Orbyz,” mere days before the initiation of the world-famous electronic dance music festival. The blaze broke out about 6 p.m., when about 1,000 staff members were still present at the complex making final touches to the preparations for the festival. The flames spread quickly across the high-tech set construction, engulfing approximately 75% of the stage. The set, designed to represent this year’s fantasy motif—to be an ancient civilization named Orbyz under dissolving icebergs—was therefore destroyed in both practical and symbolic form.
Despite the massive loss, the authorities were quick to assure the fans and the press that Tomorrowland 2025 will go on as scheduled. The authorities testified that no injury was reported and that the site was evacuated without incident. DreamVille, the extremely successful camping town for the festival fans, will be opened according to schedule, and other aspects of the festival—like the Global Journey traveling experience—are not impacted.
The city fire department responded quickly to put out the fire and ensure that it did not spread to the rest of the grounds. Public prosecutors had also started investigating simultaneously and are treating the incident as one of accidental arson. Safety inspections were underway to ascertain whether the charred main stage area could be secured or replaced by a new structure prior to the festival.
Tomorrowland, known for its elaborate stage designs and international line-up, has main acts in the form of David Guetta, Armin van Buuren, Martin Garrix, and Charlotte de Witte. With 400,000 expected fans from more than 200 countries, organizers are keen to redevelop the calendar or incorporate stand-by stages in an attempt to make it a hit event.
This loss is overwhelming, but Tomorrowland employees and the international electronic dance music community are going to continue the spirit of the festival, demonstrating once more that music and harmony can conquer even the most tragic of tragedies.
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