In the wake of this year’s Mainstage fire, Tomorrowland’s organizers didn’t shy away from addressing the obvious in their official aftermovie.
As the world watched with bated breath, Tomorrowland overcame a devastating Mainstage fire by building a substitute stage in less than 48 hours. It is thus fitting that the Boom, Belgium event’s organizers have delivered its official aftermovie after about as little time elapsed since the end of the event, and that it centers around the obvious aspects that made this edition special.
Tomorrowland’s story elements are perhaps as famous as its festivals themselves. But the event brand clearly knows when it’s necessary to go off script. The aftermovie opens with with a voice declaring that “Tomorrowland is more than a stage,” and this theme permeates throughout the montage of clips making up its nearly 17-minute runtime.
That’s not to say organizers left out the good times that attendees had. Footage of performances by the likes of Sara Landry, Anyma, FISHER, Kölsch, Steve Aoki, and Novah is synced to songs of the moment like “Wait So Long” by Swedish House Mafia, “Ascension” by Andromedik and Kanine, and an unreleased ID by Martin Garrix and Matisse & Sadko. The end result offers an experience all its own. Dynamic in its delivery, the official aftermovie captures the festival’s full range of motion from beginning to end.
Around the 11-minute mark, several more headliners can be heard reflecting on the mic about the unexpected series of events that made this year’s event unique. “I feel this is a very, very special edition of Tomorrowland, and I’d like to take a moment to thank all those workers who made this fetival possible,” says Armin van Buuren. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”
“Small shoutout to everybody in the front out here,” says Hardwell to throngs of adoring fans. “I have never seen you guys this close. I fucking love it.”
Tomorrowland 2025 drew more than 400,000 revelers from more than 200 countries, and it billed over 600 DJs across 16 stages. It’s a far cry from the festival’s relatively humble beginnings as a single-day event that drew about 10,000 attendees. Tomorrowland has since expanded to include events across the globe, including newly announced installments of its CORE event concept in Los Angeles and Melbourne.
