Tomorrowland Celebrates Another Decade of Music Festival Dominance
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There are thousands of music festivals in 2024 and surely a good number of them are dance music festivals. There are pros and cons to all of them, but one festival dominates the imaginations of people worldwide. Launched in 2004, Tomorrowland has grown to become an idyllic fantasy land that exists for two (formerly 1) short weekend(s) in July, featuring a symphony of music, nature, color, and magic. Whereas most festivals are a raging good time, Tomorrowland is a rite of passage or a pilgrimage for anybody who enjoys electronic dance music. Tomorrowland inhabits the gorgeous De Schorre Park in Boom, Belgium, and is fortunate enough to have built a strong relationship with the locality. Tomorrowland has grown in tandem with the park, such that Tomorrowland has turned the park into the closest thing we’ll ever get to a permanent music festival theme park.
As Tomorrowland celebrated its 20th Anniversary (the digital editions in 2020 and 2021 are counted) in 2024, the festival had occupied this mythical status for at least the prior decade (and a few more years). Tickets have sold out almost instantly for every edition since the 2014 anniversary because the festival is so magical that you just can’t understand it until you experience it. Celebrating 20 years of festival greatness, Tomorrowland was equal parts nostalgic and cutting-edge.
The Themes
Tomorrowland is not just a music festival, but its own entity in the EDM world. The festival itself is a character that millennials have grown up with. The themes are so intricately done that Tomorrowland has begun writing entire novels for the new themes since 2023, and has plans to write even more (possibly touching on past themes). In 2024, the past themes have taken on lives of their own through stages, callbacks, and more. To celebrate 20 years, Tomorrowland geared its smaller side stages to call back past themes. The Melodia Stage pays homage to the 2015 theme, the Elixir Stage pays tribute to the 2016 them that also inspired the 2024 theme, Amicorum Spectaculum heavily inspired the Gathering Stage for campers, the 2017 Planaxis theme got its very own lakefront stage, and the Boof of Wisdom continues to be celebrated with the Library Stage. Interestingly, there was no callback to 2022’s Reflection of Love theme despite its popularity. This leads me to believe we may see a 3rd Tomorrowland festival coming to a new location with the Reflection of Love Stage, as the Adscendo Stage is already in Brazil. This year’s theme was LIFE, a prequel to 2016’s Arising of Life theme. The focus was on lush, vibrant, and green nature. The mainstage featured a giant flower as its centerpiece and it bloomed each night during the headlining sets. The theme makes perfect sense for the setting too.
The Nostalgia
Something that made the 20th Anniversary so special is that it’s about 10 years on from the “Golden Era” of EDM. The previous decade anniversary in 2014 was the peak of the EDM Golden Era. During this time, there was a festival anthem released every week. Tomorrowland was very much at the center of the EDM universe back then as well. In 2014, Tomorrowland experimented with two back-to-back weekends for the very first time, and many of the festival anthems that we still love today were being premiered at the hallowed grounds back then.
The anniversary had me reflective throughout the first day, especially since this was my 6th consecutive (not counting 2020/2021) Tomorrowland. Would the Tomorrowland magic start to grow stale on my 6th time? These thoughts were ever present on Day 1 because the big features were the epic return (after 12 years) of Swedish House Mafia to the festival and Hardwell playing a Throwback Set at the Freedom Stage. Those 2012-2015 big room anthems fell far out of favor after 2015, and the festival sound is miles away from that now. Would those sounds seem ridiculous if played at Tomorrowland in 2024? Because they certainly feel ridiculous when played (mashed up with something horrible) in some local bar or club.
Swedish House Mafia took the mainstage, after a dazzling opening ceremony, and surprised me right off the bat. The intro to their set sounded exactly like a set they could have played here in 2013. Then they went into all of their biggest hits and mostly kept them in their original mixes. That wasn’t the surprising part. The surprise was that even though the trio played a set that could’ve been played in 2013 or 2014, it was every bit as exciting and magical as it would have been back then. To me, it felt like Swedish House Mafia gave Tomorrowland the set it should have gotten had the group not disbanded at Ultra in 2013. It’s hard to believe that until 2024, Tomorrowland never got to see the full Swedish House Mafia perform ‘Don’t You Worry Child’. Despite hearing all these tracks (with some exceptions) a billion times before, there was something indescribable about that trio playing those songs at the Tomorrowland mainstage on the 20th Anniversary of Tomorrowland. It brought back all of those warm and fuzzy feelings that I got when I attended my first music festival back during that Golden Era.
This concept was reinforced even more during Hardwell‘s throwback set. It was Hardwell at his 2013-2014 best when he was the (DJ Mag) #1 DJ in the world. The Big Room sound has been dead for years, yet hearing these tracks and mashups from that era (without any updates) felt incredible. The production was good back then too, but think of how much better it is now. Those big room anthems sounded almost refreshing since it had been so long since I had heard a set so unafraid of the big room sound. During that set, the Freedom Stage had the feeling of a millennial version of the Aerosmith doing a reunion tour concert for my parents. It was filled with millennials feeling nostalgic for the magic of that feeling when EDM and festivals were new and unknown and counterculture. Let me tell you, those tracks have not lost their luster one bit when being played by the original producer in the epic setting of the Freedom Stage.
The Setting
I already touched on this, but the main ingredient that makes Tomorrowland ascend from a mere festival to a magical place of EDM legend is the gorgeous setting. De Schorre is a beautiful place on its own, but Tomorrowland makes it a magical place. Just walking around in between stages it’s hard not to be taken aback by the natural beauty. This year the weather not only cooperated, but it put on quite the show. The sky was a dramatic and gorgeous pastel of blues and whites during the hot and sunny afternoons, then orange and pink during the golden hour(s) before giving way to night. Tomorrowland certainly has lasers and screens and fireworks galore, but mother nature is a major part of the Tomorrowland production that sets it apart from anywhere else.
Tomorrowland smartly leans into this by making sure its stages fit and coexist in the natural setting and are enhanced by it. The CORE Stage nestled in the forest looks like an abandoned natural ruin that comes to life, the Planaxis Stage plays with water, color, and light as it floats gently on a lake for onlookers on dry ground. Perhaps the most gorgeous and special stage at Tomorrowland is the Crystal Garden Stage which, itself, is floating on a lake. It has a giant circular covering that looks like the top of a merry-go-round, but it is filled with greenery, misters, and shiny crystals that hang above the crowd reflecting light. The actual stage is pretty simple and doesn’t focus on huge LED walls. The Crystal Garden Stage lets the sky, the lake, and the sun play with lasers, mist, water fountains, and lights. When you dance to the sounds of Solomun b2b Four Tet or Dom Dolla or Keinemusik there, you can’t help but look around and think, “I can’t believe this is a real place”. It’s a real place but a surreal experience because there’s nothing else like it on planet Earth.
The mainstage is another beneficiary of this because it is set in a natural amphitheater bowl. The festival wisely uses this to create the best mainstage crowd setup you can find at any festival. Yes, it gets crowded for the big sets, but everybody gets an amazing view and you can see the Ferris wheel off in the distance as well.
The best part about this is that if you attend Tomorrowland multiple times, you can see your favorite DJs play across several different stages, and every stage creates a completely different experience. I’ve been fortunate enough to see Tale of Us play at CORE, Crystal Garden, Atmosphere, and Freedom over the years – each with a completely different feel and special in its own way.
The Music
At Tomorrowland the star of the show is the festival itself, followed by the gorgeous setting, but obviously the music is why everybody is there – and Tomorrowland has all of the best, and more. Tomorrowland excels here because it has a dozen festivals in one. Each stage is its own vibe both visually and musically, so there is truly something for everyone. It’s the only festival where I set aside an hour or two to aimlessly wander and drop in on a DJ I normally wouldn’t see. Tomorrowland features plenty of options for the more mainstream fans while also providing excellent options for everybody in the worlds of house and techno. There are even stages for throwback music, Drum & Bass, Hardstyle, Bass Music, and Trance. Trance and Hardstyle have seen their presence reduced in recent years, but the representation ebbs and flows depending on the state of the music scene.
Tomorrowland will feature the big names as many festivals do, but there’s always a special Tomorrowland twist. Where else will you see Solomun b2b Four Tet floating on a lake for four hours while REZZMAU5 rocks the Freedom Stage at the same time? This year saw Anyma take the mainstage for the first time, and even without his signature visuals, the show was spectacular.
Tomorrowland even dedicates the RISE Stage to up-and-coming young talent, which coincides with Tomorrowland’s own DJ Academy where attendees get to try their hands on the decks of that stage. Tomorrowland nurtures talent from the beginning all the way through a mainstage closing set (just ask Dimitri Vegas, Like Mike, or Charlotte de Witte).
No matter what type of music you’re into and whether you’re a newbie or a veteran, Tomorrowland will impress you.
The Stages
With approximately sixteen different stages at Tomorrowland, there’s every type of experience you can imagine. From the gargantuan Mainstage, to the cutting-edge Freedom Stage, to the award-winning Atmosphere and CORE Stages, to the gorgeous Crystal Garden Stage, and the beloved Library Stage, among others.
The Mainstage is always a marvel of technology, with decor that now wraps around the entire lower bowl area. This year Tomorrowland utilized cutting-edge LED screens on the mainstage and Freedom Stage, with the highest quality ever seen at the festival. Some stages, like Atmosphere, also use Tomorrowland’s proprietary 360 sound system (like Atmos) for a sound experience unlike any other. Many of the stages utilize water fountains, a crowd favorite to be sure. At Tomorrowland 2024, almost every stage was introduced within the past 3 years. With the retirement of Youphoria and the introduction of Planaxis, the oldest stage at Tomorrowland is undoubtedly Rose Garden (excluding the Cage and the Rave Cave), which recently got a facelift last year and a slight technical upgrade this year. Rose Garden is a beloved stage by the Tomorrowland creators so we don’t see it going anywhere. The next oldest stage would believe it or not, be Atmosphere (which has been there since 2018). The Freedom Stage is now in its second iteration since 2022 and Library has similarly been around since that time.
It feels like Tomorrowland is approaching a method closer to Ultra Music Festival in Miami. The festival has found the perfect setup of stages, so now the festival is iterating on those stage designs rather than replacing the stage completely with something different. Tomorrowland is always experimenting with new things and looking for feedback. If the people love it, it’ll stay. If the people don’t, it’ll go. If something can be improved, then it will. The biggest new stages in 2024 were the refreshed CORE Stage and the new Planaxis Stage. It’s hard to imagine what stage changes we could see in 2025, but we’re excited to see.
The Tomorrowland Touches
The Tomorrowland touches are another big part of making the festival fly far above the rest. These are the things that just work and make you wonder why other festivals can’t figure it out. As you walk around you’ll note that there are bars and food vendors within listening distance of almost every stage. You don’t have to leave the action to get a drink or food. The restrooms are always nearby, clean, and never too crowded. The cell phone service is spotless, so finding friends is a breeze because even pictures and videos go through without issue. If there’s an area where crowd flow became an issue over the years, Tomorrowland has addressed it with more pathways and bigger walkways. One of this year’s focal points was more space, so many of the stage areas and walkways were enlarged to reduce crowding.
The food options are outstanding and would be good even if you weren’t at a music festival. Where else can you get a Tomahawk steak at a music festival? Check out Brasa if you ever manage to attend and try it. This year even featured beer vending machines where you place your cup, select the beer, and it would pour into the cup for you.
The Tomorrowland touch goes far beyond that and impacts everything you see, and even things you don’t. The festival provides travel packages for thousands of attendees each year that include all of their travel, lodging, shuttles, etc. The campgrounds have a gym and a grocery store that are as good as you’d find at home. The festival, quite literally, thinks of everything and has a plan for it.
The Tomorrowland touch continues even after you return home. The very moment Tomorrowland’s two weekends had ended, over 100 sets were uploaded in full to YouTube, including even the rarest sets that went down over the festival. So even if you had to make a tough choice during a conflict, more likely than not you’ll be able to stream the sets you missed later.
The Team
The final piece that makes Tomorrowland so magical, and has done so for nearly two decades now, is the team behind it. As part of the media crew, I have the opportunity to meet some of these faces year after year. The public face of Tomorrowland, Debby Wilmsen, is truly a superwoman. She is there to answer any question, provide any news update or quote, or address any problem that might arise during and year and especially at the festival. While Tomorrowland seems like a gargantuan entity, being able to put on this massively complex festival (and its offshoots) year after year, it’s truly a family operation. Tomorrowland is an annual reunion for many of these people, and that has come to include the media representatives as well. Where some US festivals feel like a multinational conglomerate is running things, Tomorrowland puts real faces on the festival. This team has been at it making magic for years together, and you can tell there’s nothing they’d rather be doing.
Conclusion
Tomorrowland 2024 was a celebration of festival excellence and also a celebration of the progress that the electronic dance music scene has made as it has matured across the world. Tomorrowland is an EDM festival, but it has set the standard across the world as one of the single best music festivals to ever exist. It’s much more than a music festival. It’s a magical experience that literally anybody could fall in love with. If you haven’t been, you need to (try to) get your tickets for 2025.
