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Tomorrowland history: from 2005 to today

Updated 6 min read

Short answer

Tomorrowland started on Sunday 14 August 2005 in Boom, Belgium, as a one-day festival with about 10,000 visitors. It was founded by, and is still owned by, the Beers brothers. 2026 was the 20th Belgian edition, with about 400,000 visitors from over 200 countries across two weekends and 233 million views of the livestream.

The gold-coloured stage at dusk with spotlights and haze above the crowd

When did Tomorrowland start?

Tomorrowland started on Sunday 14 August 2005 at De Schorre in Boom, between Antwerp and Brussels. The first edition lasted a single day, and according to Tomorrowland’s history page “about 10,000” people came. Another official page, This is Tomorrowland, says 9,000, so the figure depends on the source.

From there the festival grew fast. 2007 was the first year with two days, and 2011 the first with three. In 2014, according to Dancing Astronaut, the festival ran over two weekends for the first time. Today Tomorrowland Belgium draws about 400,000 visitors a year from over 200 countries.

The location is the same as in 2005: the provincial recreation area De Schorre in Boom. Today the DreamVille camping town also stretches into the neighbouring municipality of Rumst.

Who owns Tomorrowland?

Tomorrowland is owned by its founders, the Beers brothers. Tomorrowland’s own press release after the 2026 festival describes it as “organized and owned by the original founders, the brothers Beers”. Their first names, Manu and Michiel Beers, appear in music media, Dancing Astronaut among them, but we have not found them on Tomorrowland’s own pages.

The ownership story has a few steps that we can only report with a caveat:

  • ID&T: the Dutch events company was a 50 percent co-owner in the early years, according to Dancing Astronaut.
  • SFX in 2013: the American company SFX bought 75 percent of ID&T in 2013, according to the same source.
  • Back to the brothers: the brothers later bought back the stake. We have not been able to verify the year.

The company behind the brand is now called We Are One World (WEAREONE.world), is headquartered in Antwerp and has more than 400 employees.

Timeline: Tomorrowland 2005-2026

These are the key years according to Tomorrowland’s history page Down Memory Lane, with press releases filling the gaps:

Year What happened Visitors
2005 First Tomorrowland, one day in Boom, Sunday 14 August about 10,000
2007 Two festival days for the first time -
2008 The festival grows 50,000
2011 Three days, theme The Tree of Life 180,000
2013 TomorrowWorld in the USA starts (until 2015) -
2014 Two weekends for the first time (according to Dancing Astronaut) -
2015 First Tomorrowland Brasil 180,000 in Belgium (2015-2016)
2017 Two weekends again, Amicorum Spectaculum 400,000
2019 15th anniversary, One World Radio launches, first Winter 400,000
2020 Belgium cancelled, digital Around the World -
2021 Belgium cancelled, Around the World again -
2022 Three weekends, The Reflection of Love over 600,000
2024 20-year anniversary, theme LIFE about 400,000
2025 Mainstage burns on 16 July, replacement stage about 400,000
2026 20th edition, Consciencia, 233 million livestream views about 400,000

How the crowd numbers developed and how big the festival is today is covered in how many people go to Tomorrowland.

Tomorrowland in 2005 and 2026 in numbers

The gap between the first edition and the 20th says most of what you need to know about how the festival has grown:

2005 2026
Festival days 1 (Sunday) 6 (Fri-Sun, two weekends)
Visitors about 10,000 about 400,000
Countries visitors came from - over 200
Stages - 16, with over 500 artists
Camping - DreamVille, 38,000 guests per weekend on 78 hectares
Livestream - 233 million views

The crowd has grown about fortyfold, and the number of festival days sixfold. The 2026 figures come from Tomorrowland’s own press releases.

Themes: the story on the Mainstage

Since 2011 every edition has had a theme that the Mainstage is built around. The first was The Tree of Life in 2011, followed by The Book of Wisdom in 2012. Some themes have returned: The Book of Wisdom came back in 2019 as The Book of Wisdom - The Return, and LIFE in 2024 was a prequel to The Elixir of Life from 2016.

Before 2011 the editions have no theme name on the official history page. Every theme year by year is in Tomorrowland themes by year.

The year of the first theme, 2011, was also when Avicii debuted on the Mainstage with the unreleased Levels, see Avicii at Tomorrowland.

When the festival was cancelled: 2020 and 2021

In 2020 Tomorrowland Belgium was cancelled. The digital festival Around the World took its place on 25-26 July 2020, followed by a New Year’s Eve edition on 31 December 2020. In 2021 Belgium was cancelled again, and Around the World was broadcast on 16-17 July 2021 with The Amicorum Spectaculum.

That is why the number of years and the number of editions do not match. Tomorrowland has existed since 2005, but 2026 was the 20th edition in Belgium.

The comeback in 2022 was the biggest yet, with three weekends and more than 600,000 visitors. Since 2023 the festival has been back to two weekends.

The 2025 fire

On 16 July 2025, before the festival started, the Mainstage was destroyed by fire. According to DJ Mag nobody was hurt, and the DreamVille campsite opened as planned. The festival went ahead with a replacement stage, and Tomorrowland put the message “UNITE” front and centre. That year’s theme was Orbyz.

Tomorrowland beyond Belgium

The brand has grown far beyond Boom. TomorrowWorld was held in Georgia, USA, from 2013 to 2015, Tomorrowland Brasil started in 2015 and Tomorrowland Winter in Alpe d’Huez in 2019. Brasil has had editions in 2015, 2016, 2023, 2024 and 2025, and the next is on 30 April-2 May 2027. Winter returns on 20-27 March 2027. Tomorrowland Thailand was announced on 6 January 2026 and takes place on 11-13 December 2026 in Pattaya. All editions are covered in Tomorrowland around the world, and what is confirmed about Ibiza and Las Vegas in 2027 is in Tomorrowland Ibiza and Las Vegas 2027.

At the same time the festival has become a media event. One World Radio started in 2019 as a temporary project for the 15th anniversary and now broadcasts 24/7. The 2026 livestream reached 233 million views, up from 193 million in 2025.

What happens in 2027?

The dates and theme for Tomorrowland Belgium 2027 have not been announced as of 9 November 2026. In the last two years the dates came on 28 November 2024 and 4 December 2025, so the next chapter is expected around late November or early December 2026. The latest is on the Tomorrowland 2027 page.

If you want the basics of the festival first, read what is Tomorrowland, or start on the home page.

Tomorrowland.se is an unofficial fan site. Tomorrowland’s own history is on tomorrowland.com.

Frequently asked questions

Who are the owners of Tomorrowland?

Tomorrowland is organised and owned by its founders, the Beers brothers, according to Tomorrowland's own 2026 press release. The company behind the brand is now called We Are One World and is headquartered in Antwerp. In the early years the Dutch company ID&T was a co-owner.

Who set up Tomorrowland?

Tomorrowland was set up by the Beers brothers, who still run the festival. Their first names, Manu and Michiel Beers, appear in music media such as Dancing Astronaut, but not on any official Tomorrowland page we have found.

How long has Tomorrowland been going on?

Tomorrowland has been going since 2005, so for more than 20 years. The Belgian festival was cancelled in 2020 and 2021, which is why 2026 was the 20th edition. In those years the digital festival Around the World was broadcast instead.

When was the first Tomorrowland?

The first Tomorrowland took place on Sunday 14 August 2005 in Boom, between Antwerp and Brussels. It was a one-day festival with about 10,000 visitors, according to Tomorrowland's history page.

Sources