Tomorrowland‘s iconic Freedom stage has seen its ceiling collapse yesterday for the extreme heat.
Today Tomorrowland will open its doors once again for the second weekend of the festival. The Gathering will kick off the celebrations, waiting for tomorrow, the real first day of the festival (watch it live). Unfortunately, because the extream heat of these days, Freedom stage ceiling collapsed.
With a maximum temperature of 39° C today, Dreamville will also open at 9 am today to avoid long lines. Tomorrowland is also working to set up additionally shaded and cooling areas as well as improving the access to drinking water.
The incident happened yesterday, during the ‘Neighborhood Party,’ an event held by Tomorrowland for the many local residents of the area. People were inside the Freedom stage escaping the extreme outside temperatures. A part of the roof shifted for the heat and didn’t entirely collapse but got stuck at mid-air thanks to the safety pins installed. No one got injured as the ceiling hasn’t collapsed directly on the people below. The stage was immediately evacuated.
“We were in the other side of the tent when it happened,” – says eyewitness Achiel Rypens to hln.be – “We first heard a crackle and then we saw the lights coming off. They didn’t fall all the way down but stuck. The people responsible for safety immediately cleared the room. I didn’t think there was much panic. For me, the party will continue as usual. ”
“The structure of the tent has come loose,” – explains Tomorrowland spokeswoman Debby Wilmsen – “As a result, part of the ceiling has subsided. The damage will be repaired as quickly as possible, but for that, we will have to close the tent for the visitors of our Buurtfeest. […]”
Tomorrowland team is working to have the stage fixed as soon as possible. The stage will be open and all the performances are confirmed for the weekend. There’s no danger for attenders to join Freedom stage this weekend; the safety is Tomorrowland’s first priority.
Treedom stage will host the incredible Eric Prydz Holosphere show this weekend as well as the long-awaited Axtone takeover with Axwell as well.
