By Laura Nicasie Finals are sneaking up on us, but so are the summer days we’ve been looking forward to all year: lounging with friends, no obligations or rules and countless festivals. I don’t know about Taiwan but in Belgium summer is not complete without music festivals. There is something for everyone, which is not hard when there are multiple festivals every weekend. Nevertheless, there is always one festival that steals the crown. For several years now, the most popular has been Tomorrowland. In 2005, two Belgian brothers organised an electronic music festival. Back then it was considered one of a kind. It is still unique today but not for its music style. The first time around 9,000 people joined in. Of those 9,000 visitors, 3,000 of them were invited to make sure that the festival grounds didn’t look too empty. Nevertheless, only six years later the festival hit its maximum capacity: 180,000 people. Even then I didn’t start paying attention to it. Electronic music was not my style and the bass I could hear thumping in my garden during those three festival days in July wasn’t exactly reeling me in. The first time I realised how big the festival was, I was not even in Belgium. I was at a bar in Berlin and someone asked where I was from. When I said Belgium, they immediately asked me whether I had ever been to Tomorrowland. It was only at that moment that I started to notice how fascinated people were by this festival. I was also intrigued by it since every year the same problem occurs when tickets go on sale. Within half an hour all the tickets are sold out and a whole lot of people are left disappointed. This is something that no one could have imagined ten years ago.
In the same way, nobody could have imagined that two boys would go from being unknown teenagers to some of the highest paid DJs in the world. Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike grew up messing around on the fields that now host Tomorrowland. They are inadvertently linked to it. After playing the festival several times, they are considered resident DJs and every year provide an anthem. Tomorrowland and Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike are like the chicken and the egg. No one really knows which one existed first. On May 28th, the famous DJ duo performed at the SpringWave Sunset festival in Taipei, showing how far their fan base reaches. The same goes for Tomorrowland itself. Their fans spread all over the globe. Strangely enough, they do very little advertising. What ma People have different reasons for going to Tomorrowland. Compared to other festivals the ticket price is normal but the extravaganza is high. Nevertheless, it is quite obvious that someone who is not into electronic or dance music (like me) won’t be quick to spend 300 euro on a ticket. But what makes it so much better than any other electronic or dance festival? What makes people travel all the way from Australia, the U.S., or Taiwan to Belgium? First and foremost, it is all about the lineup. Music is key. “It is pretty amazing to get to see all those DJs at one event.” According to some, it’s also about the entire concept. “They pay attention to the details. It’s almost like entering a different world and when you do, you get to leave reality at the door.” One of those details is Dreamville, a luxurious camping site on the festival grounds. Who ever said festivals meant smelly people and limited hygiene was not a visionary. Even outside of Dreamville, Tomorrowland has been described as “the cleanest and happiest festival. There is no littering and there are barely any fights.” A lot of little things at Tomorrowland are meant to take you away from reality and into your dreams. For three days nothing exists except you, the music, and the people celebrating with you. And that’s the vision Tomorrowland has for the future, everyone coming together to enjoy life. For just three days, their aim is to be the happiest place on earth. For those who find the tickets too expensive or were not able to get one, yearly aftermovies give a look into the festival life and offer for those who did succeed in getting a ticket the opportunity to relive those three glorious days. At the same time, aftermovies are a good way to attract new festival goers. And it works. Their movies are usually the first thing people see. In People of Tomorrow, a reality series about the festival, a boy from Kenya spent years saving money to be able to go after seeing the movies. He says he “didn’t realise there were places where people came together like that.” Tomorrowland and its organisers refer not only to their visitors but also to fans who cannot attend as “the people of tomorrow.” They describe them as a global family, which they try to show through several projects such as Unite and One World. The first one refers to live video connections between several countries worldwide. In those countries people come together and dance to a live feed of the festival. One World was realised in 2015. A bridge was built on the festival grounds with personal messages of love, even including a marriage proposal. Tomorrowland had requested their visitors to send in their messages by asking: “What if a global community sends out a message at a legendary place in order to become one world?” To some, this feeling of unity is another thing that distinguishes the festival from others. “You’re more than just a costumer. You are a part of the festival. It feels as if you all belong together. Where you’re from doesn’t matter at Tomorrowland.” Tomorrowland has won the title for best music event in the world for the past five years, easily defeating big festivals such as Coachella, Electric Daisy Festival, and Ultra Music Festival. It is no surprise that several countries are lobbying to have their own version of the festival. So far two countries besides Belgium host an equivalent. In New Orleans, it is called TomorrowWorld and there is also Tomorrowland Brazil. Everywhere the festivals get flooded by visitors and people talk about the indescribable feeling it brings. “It’s all about the connection. You cannot explain it. You have to have been there to understand it.” Unfortunately, 300 euro (plus camping plus drinks plus food) is a little bit expensive to little old me, just so I can understand that feeling. But that is a personal choice, which has nothing to do with how good or bad the festival is. Because I have to admit that even though I’m not into electro or dance I start to consider buying a ticket for the next edition when I see the smiles on my friends’ faces whenever they talk about the festival. So whatever the organisers are doing, they must be doing it right. I might not be a huge fan of that genre of music, but I fully support the ideals they represent: bringing people together through music. It seems they are succeeding. Even when people are halfway around the world from each other they still feel connected by this event. Tomorrowland should no longer be considered only a festival. It’s a phenomenon. a
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Authors
The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
|