By Andrés Muñoz
Founded in 2005, Tomorrowland is one of the biggest electronic music festivals in the world. Cut to 2023, and hundreds of thousands of people gather yearly in a park outside Boom, Belgium, celebrating a passion for electronic music at an epic scale.
I went to Tomorrowland in Belgium in 2019 and 2022 and had an amazing time while making friends from all over the world.
When Tomorrowland announced a South American version of the festival for the first time since 2016, I jumped at the chance and invited friends to come along. While I’ll never ever regret going, there were shortcomings I’d like to review now that the dust has settled.
The Belgian Experience
There is little that compares to the scale of Tomorrowland Belgium. It is a giant infrastructure that opens for two weekends in July, employing 80 people year-round and 15,000 on-site during the event. The stages are a marvel of design, with the main stage completely changing yearly, stunning festival goers for almost 20 years.
Weekend tickets, including camping, start at around €420 per person and sell out in under an hour, granting access to all 16 stages. Secure lockers, shuttle bus tickets, restaurant vouchers, and more are available to purchase two months before the event. Every logistical aspect is considered, from a hair salon to a cell phone repair stand; Tomorrowland Belgium has it all.
The Brazilian Experience
Eight friends joined me on the trip after months of preparation. I created Whatsapp groups to organise our campsite and shared them online to meet up with ravers from all over the world. I ran a fundraiser to buy camping gear for everyone and shared lessons learned from my two times in Belgium.
Unfortunately, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.
Differences in the event’s organisation became evident a few weeks before the festival. While the bus shuttle was managed successfully a couple of months before the event, add-on sales didn’t include lockers until a few days before it began. Furthermore, the purchase process allowed you only one item per transaction. The Belgian add-on sale allowed you to buy multiple elements, so you could secure a bus shuttle, a restaurant package and a locker in a single payment, for example.
When the nine of us met at Sao Paulo airport, there was a 1-hour delay with the shuttles. As we neared the shuttle area, a massive crowd was gathered around a tiny desk. It was the only place festival goers could get their bus bracelet.
Having successfully secured shuttle bracelets and arriving at the venue, we got our festival bracelets and met with the camping group. We were entertained by actors who lifted our spirits.
Some of our friends experienced issues with the activation of their pre-paid festival currency on their bracelets. When a festival is cashless, functioning bracelets are vital.
The official map of the camping area was only available the day before. Unlike in Belgium, there were no outdoor showers. Those who didn’t want to pay for a hot shower had to use the sinks to wash.
Despite the hiccups, the first night was fantastic. We all attended the Gathering, the pre-official festival party held exclusively for campers. It was a tremendous night; compared to Belgium, this is where Brazil truly shone. The afterparties were terrific. I went to bed around 4–5 a.m., whereas the staff monitored the campsite in Belgium, sending everyone to bed by three.
A massive storm hit the first official day of the festival, making the venue extremely muddy and hard to move in. Everyone knew there would be rain on the first day but didn’t expect it on this level. This made the bathrooms on the first night a disgusting experience. The ones next to the main stage were dark, dirty, and felt unsafe. Furthermore, the people staying in hotels faced a 5-7 hour drive back because the roads to and from the festival were obliterated by the rain.
Due to the storm, Tomorrowland cancelled all 5 stages on the festival’s second day. Only those camping had access to the Gathering stage with an epic list of artists. Kölsch, Amber Broos, Steve Aoki, Nervo, DJ Anna, and more all provided a well-needed party after a second stressful day for many. We faced the storm and missed a day of the festival, but we partied hard.
The third day wasn’t as rainy, and my group explored all the stages. There were still puddles and mud, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. However, Several busier stages, like Core, always had long lines at the bar section.
The next day, we hugged, said our goodbyes, and promised to meet again.
The Verdict
My eyes shine when I talk about previous Tomorrowlands, and I smile thinking about my experiences. I enjoy telling the stories with my fellow ravers and feel that every Euro you pay is seen in the walkways, the stages, and the courtesy of the staff in Boom, Belgium. The ticket is worth the cost.
Sadly, Brazil doesn’t evoke the same. Even though I met fantastic people and have created connections I am sure will last a lifetime, the logistics were disappointing. Our preparation, unity, and resilience in the face of adversity made this Tomorrowland a worthwhile experience.
Having experienced both, I recommend that event organisers implement the following for upcoming versions of Tomorrowland Brazil:
- English-Speaking Staff: This international festival brings people together from all over the world. Having a team composed of mainly non-English speakers won’t work.
- Add-On sale: Lockers need to be available for purchase at the same time as everything else. The purchase process must be streamlined to allow buying several additional features in bulk, not a single transaction for every extra element you want.
- Airport Shuttles: One tiny table for hundreds of people is just not good enough. 4-5 different stands organised by departure time are needed to avoid delays.
- Weather: If it is known that there will be heavy storms, more walkways are needed to avoid slipping. The area around the main stage was a giant mudslide.
- Bathrooms: Yes, it’s a challenge from a bio-organic waste management perspective, but there needs to be a team that cleans the toilets regularly.
- Camping area: A map is essential so people can organise themselves, and outdoor showers are a must. This avoids long lines for the paid ones.
Have you been to Tomorrowland Brazil? Let me know your experiences and suggestions below.