Snapped: Tomorrowland
We went on a Journey to Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland is a festival that does absolutely nothing by halves.
We went on a Journey to Tomorrowland with Budweiser for a three day party at Europe's biggest EDM rave. This was part of their global ambition to bring people together through unique events and experiences when it comes to music. #ThisBudsForYou
Every part of the Tomorrowland experience results in a complete sensory overload; the production, the sound, the light shows, the fireworks, the crowd, the pyrotechnics, the friendliness, the vibe.
Tiesto kicked things off in Dreamville on Thursday, a town-sized, 40,000 strong camping area. The world's most prolific DJ and producer has teamed up with the beer brand to launch an one-off track featuring JAUZ called ‘Infected, which he premiered during an epic performance.
While it caters for all kinds of dance music, the central focus is EDM. Rumours of this music's decline are very difficult to imagine here, where whatever your taste in dance, everyone is going completely insane, non stop for thirteen hours a day x 3.
The biggest smiles on Earth are shared by all 160,000 revellers, and it’s very easy to get caught up in it.
The Mainstage hosts the biggest, loudest DJs, one after the other in a hyperactive succession of 45 minute sets. The DJ come MC hypes the 60K strong crowd with banger after banger. Really though, it's the sheer scale and attention to detail across the twenty other stages that truly blows your mind.
Nina Kraviz played hard, Belgian techno and classic trance on top of twelve foot, fire breathing, rotating cogs. Kollektiv Turmstrasse played a dramatic live version of Sorry I'm Late with twenty-five second ice cannon and confetti blasts. Eric Prydz and Deadmau5 probably stole the show with one of the most incredible light and sound shows we've ever seen. Cirez D's New City Gas ID intro set the tone for a landmark set by arguably EDM’s most credible exports in the Opera on Friday night.
Actually though, what truly blows your mind is that generally, the crowd haven't heard most of the records played at Tomorrowland until they are there. It's what hungry house and techno addicts are known for (us included). We want brand new music all the time so that the anthems stand out.
Take this underground sensibility and consider that a near Glastonbury-sized audience is all thinking the way we do in Europe.
We were honoured to be a part of this celebration of our culture with a beer in hand and a smile on our face.