The dance festival Tomorrowland will proceed. The organization announced this on Wednesday evening. Earlier in the day, the main stage went up in flames. The event on the festival grounds in Boom, near Antwerp, will therefore start on Friday without that main stage.
“We are going to make it a beautiful festival,” said the Tomorrowland spokesperson at an emergency press conference. How the festival will be organized exactly is still unclear. “We will have to consider with the authorities and experts how that is possible.”
A video shows that only a blackened frame remains of the gigantic stage, which is the showpiece of the event every year.
According to the fire department, it quickly became clear that the fire on the stage could not be stopped. The fire department then tried to limit the damage as much as possible, Brandweerzone Rivierenland reported. The other stages on the festival grounds have not been damaged.
The cause of the fire is still unknown. Fireworks shows usually take place at the main stage, and fireworks can also be seen exploding in images of the fire. There were no reports of injuries, the organization said Wednesday evening at a press conference.
Tomorrowland is one of the most popular festivals in the Benelux and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, spread over two weekends. The first festival weekend starts on Friday. The organization expects about 38,000 visitors.
