“Canceling the festival never crossed our minds,” Debby Wilmsen, spokesperson for Tomorrowland, said. “Our team has worked through the night to assess the situation and is already developing solutions for the weekend.”
While the fire has impacted the Mainstage, all other areas of the festival grounds remain fully intact. DreamVille — Tomorrowland’s vast on-site campsite — opened as scheduled at 10:00 CEST on Thursday, July 17. All Global Journey packages and pre-festival activities in Brussels and Antwerp are also proceeding as planned.
A Monument Lost: What Happened to the Orbyz Mainstage?
The fire broke out at approximately 6:00 PM CEST on Wednesday, July 16, reportedly during pyrotechnic testing on the Orbyz Mainstage. Flames quickly engulfed the structure, destroying nearly 75% of what was intended to be the visual centerpiece of Tomorrowland 2025. Thankfully, no injuries were reported, as only staff and crew were present on site at the time.
In an emotional statement released hours later, the Tomorrowland team mourned the loss: “This wasn’t just a stage. It was a living, breathing world. Every single piece of Orbyz carried part of our soul.”
Smoke caused by a fire pictured at the festival site of the Tomorrowland electronic music festival, Wednesday 16 July 2025, in Boom. The first weekend of the festival takes place at the ‘De Schorre’ terrain in Boom, from 18 to 20 July. BELGA PHOTO TOM GOYVAERTS (Photo by Tom Goyvaerts / BELGA MAG / Belga via AFP) (Photo by TOM GOYVAERTS/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)
The Orbyz design, inspired by an icy fantasy realm, was the product of months of conceptual work, engineering, and craftsmanship. Towering over 50 meters high and more than 140 meters wide, it was meant to host the festival’s biggest headliners — including David Guetta, Martin Garrix, Armin van Buuren, and Steve Aoki.
What Happens Now?
While a complete rebuild of the Orbyz Mainstage is not possible in time for the festival (Friday–Sunday), organizers are actively working on contingency plans. These may include redistributing headliner performances to other stages or adapting the Mainstage footprint in a more minimal form. Final details about new layouts and set times are expected later today.
Authorities in Antwerp have launched an official investigation into the fire, which early reports suggest may have been triggered by a technical failure during a fireworks rehearsal. Emergency crews were able to contain the blaze within an hour. Nearby residents were briefly advised to close windows due to heavy smoke.
The Festival Spirit Lives On
For Tomorrowland fans — known as the «People of Tomorrow» — the festival is about far more than a single stage. As news of the fire spread, social media was flooded with support from attendees and artists alike, praising the team’s resilience and looking forward to the weekend.
“The Mainstage may be gone,” one festivalgoer posted on X (formerly Twitter), “but the dream is still alive. See you on the dancefloor.”
With more than 15 other stages fully functional and the festival’s infrastructure still standing strong, Tomorrowland 2025 will open as planned, albeit with a different Mainstage experience than originally imagined.
PRISA MEDIA USA, INC, expressly reserves the right to reproduce and use the works and other services accessible from this website by machine-readable media or other suitable means.
USA
ES
MX
CO
CH
PA
ARG
CR
GUA
EC
RD
