Organizers of Tomorrowland have announced that the festival will not take place this year. The decision was taken after talks held between the mayors and the Flemish minister Bart Somers reached an impasse. In a press release they announced their final decision to stop the preparations for the event.
We don’t want to start a legal battle. We obviously made this decision with pain in our hearts
Tomorrowland
For the past few days there had been increased hopes that the world-famous festival could potentially take place given that the Covid-19 contagion figures in the country have gone down substantially. All that came to a halt when the mayors of Boom and Rumst said they would not grant their permission, despite the fact that the federal government has given green to events for up to 75,000 people by that time.
Flemish Minister Bart Somers tried to find a compromise. The mayors, however, presented their case saying that was still too early and that risks were still dormant. Local committees were also against holding the festival given that the current proposed date (end of August and the beginning of September, instead of July) would overlap with the start of the new school year. The festival brings revenue but at the same time there is no doubt a significant burden on the local community, the committees said.
We have to cancel various orders worth 50 million euros now. This is a hard nut to crack for us, but also for our suppliers and the freelancers we are working with. And for the hotel sector in Brussels and Antwerp that welcomes our guests
Debbie Willemsen, Tomorrowland
Minister Somers offered a note of hope when he stated that Tomorrowland organizers will recover some of the investments. Debbie Willemsen, member of Tomorrowland’s organizing team, said that the festival had received 1.8 million euros in financial support from the Flemish government in times of corona but that as part of doing business, this time there will be a significant loss.
