Tomorrowland could be called one of the main headliners in the lineup of festivals around the world. This has been going on for years and the reasons are many, but one in particular definitely needs a special mention. Once again we find ourselves talking about “gimmick”. In a nutshell, we could exemplify this concept with the question: “What peculiarities of this festival make it unique?”. In a 2019 interview, Bernd Breiter, CEO of BigCityBeats and World Club Dome, was the first to raise the importance of “gimmick” for festivals of this magnitude. But why is it so effective with Tomorrowland?
What makes the difference?
The concepts of the Belgian festival have always been a trademark. From the ticket that arrives in a special package to the users, passing through the well-finished and scenographic set-ups with all the special effects of the case. In addition to the history and prestige that the festival has acquired over the years, both in terms of the quality of the event and as a musical proposal, now reaching 14 stages a day for all weekends ( -> stages and artists info here <-) , the brand has in fact also acted on other fields of the music. The introduction of Tomorrowland One World Radio for example with prominent figures such as Austin Kramer to name one, or the launch of his own record label Tomorrowland Music, both immediately in the spotlight, are proof of the consolidation of the brand and the strength it has now reached.
You may be wondering, what good is a continuous improvement of the “gimmick” for a festival like Tomorrowland? And how does he go beyond everything that has already been done by them and improve himself further? With attention to detail. Also and especially for the 2022 edition, the first after the forced break from the pandemic, the organizers did not spare themselves several goodies and collaborations to pamper “The People Of Tomorrow”. For the journey that thousands of ravers from all over the world have been waiting for for years, an artistic gem has already been announced in the entrance stages that is ready to leave the participants speechless.
Tomorrowland presents “The Stairway To Unity”
Tomorrowland unveiled ‘The Stairway To Unity”, a magnificent 60 meter-long handmade mosaic stairway located on the legendary Mainstage amphitheatre. The stairway represents 700 square meters of mosaic in its entirety. Specially envisioned and designed by the creative team behind Tomorrowland, this masterpice is the result of a close international collaboration with Parisian mosaic expert Jean Christophe Duperron, Cuban artist Michel Herrera Cuello and Italian company Mosaici Moruzzi which have traditionally baked and hand-cut more than 5 million pieces of mosaic into unique tiles in a small village in Italy.
One by one, the mosaic’s tiles were hand laid to form the stairway, symbolizing Tomorrowland’s most important value, as the festival unites people from more than 200 countries across the globe each summer in Belgium. This artistic project of epic proportions, however, is not the only one that “Tomo” has in store for the 2022 edition.
Asia’s most awarded chef Gaggan Anand will be cooking at Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland’s 16th edition will revolve around this year’s theme “The Reflection of Love” and will once again deliver a top-notch food and dining experience to visitors from around the world during 3 weekends of magic. In fact, Indian-born celebrity chef Gaggan Anand – the most awarded chef in Asia whose Bangkok restaurant ranked number 1 among Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants a record four times – will be joining the festival to host his very own Chef’s Table with a magnificent view of the legendary Tomorrowland Mainstage.
A huge culinary choice, combined with a host of chefs who see several Michelin stars among the ranks, already makes aquolina come into your mouth. Among the specialties already announced, a special Tomorrowland Burger which will be 100% vegetarian, with which the festival also wants to surprise visitors with other new flavors such as the plant-based experience.
Tomorrowland Developing Fantasy Novel Series With Eye on Film/TV Adaptation
The latest big news coming from Belgium concerns the brothers creators of the festival, Manu and Michiel Beers. According to claims released exclusively on Variety, the duo are developing a series of fantasy novels with the potential to become a film or television franchise. UTA’s Jason Richman is repping the book-to-screen rights while Paul Lucas of Janklow & Nesbit will oversee the books.
“Every year Tomorrowland presents a new festival theme, which comes to life via a beautiful trailer, at the legendary Mainstage and throughout the festival grounds. As the stories and characters of each theme cannot be expressed fully during the festival, we have dreamt for years of taking more time to develop them. Three years ago we set up our fiction department, where with a passionate team, we bring to life the magical worlds and storylines of the Tomorrowland themes. We aim to build a legacy of storytelling and we look forward to sharing our stories with the world in the years to come.” Michiel Beers, Tomorrowland Founder
As we can easily understand from this further development for Tomorrowland, the passion that has been behind the festival for over three decades is its true strength, expressed with a now huge brand, a clear reference to the now iconic experience that the Beers brothers give us from years. The range of details that make up the “gimmick” of Tomorrowland fit perfectly within an increasingly complex but functional scheme thanks to the strength of the idea that underlies everything. We can not help but take off our hats again this year and applaud while waiting to experience one of the most prestigious, if not the greatest, live experiences in our sector.
Tomorrowland is launching its own DJ & producer school for kids and adults
The Tomorrowland Academy will soon offer the opportunity for children, teens and adults to learn how to produce and become a DJ. In fact, this summer there will be “DJ Bootcamps” for adults, 200 meters from De Schorre, the sacred place of Tomorrowland. The “Adult Bootcamps” offer a unique all-in package: a week full of DJs and professional DJ production workshops, networking, tips and tricks, as well as inspirational sessions with music industry experts and Tomorrowland artists. And for the icing on the cake, attendees can end their week with Full Madness Access to Tomorrowland 2022 and an exclusive Tomorrowland backstage tour, while also having the exceptional opportunity to perform live on one of Tomorrowland’s official stages before start of the festival. The bootcamps will take place during the weeks between the festival weekends (18-21 July and 25-28 July).
