A Look Into the Evolution of Tomorrowland Over the Years

Since its humble beginnings in 2005, Tomorrowland has grown into one of the most prominent and elaborate music festivals in the world.

Every July, the small town of Boom, Belgium transforms into the center of the dance music universe as it welcomes hundreds of thousands of fans and artists from across the globe for Tomorrowland. Founded by brothers Manu and Michiel Beers in 2005, the start-up festival initially drew a crowd almost exclusively from within their home country of Belgium. So how did Tomorrowland transform into the record-breaking and award-winning behemoth that dance music fans know today?

Tomorrowland’s first edition took place on August 14th, 2005 and treated about 10,000 attendees to sets from top-tier European DJs like Armin Van Buuren and Justice. While it did take place at De Schorre park in Belgium, the same venue that still hosts the festival today, its grounds consisting of just a few modestly-designed stages is unrecognizable compared to the enormous extravagance of later editions. Its second iteration in 2006 expanded to eight stages and about 13,000 attendees who took in sets from more top European talent like David Guetta and Axwell.

As word began to spread about the marvelous new festival down in Boom, it ballooned to about 20,000 attendees and two days in 2007. The following year, Tomorrowland took another big leap up to about 50,000 fans and welcomed a stellar lineup of artists that included Above & Beyond, Carl Cox, deadmau5, and Gareth Emery. The groundwork had been laid, but there was still a long way to go to become a truly world-renowned festival.

In 2009, Tomorrowland began its tradition of a yearly theme and its main stage finally began to resemble the intricate and hyper-creative designs that it’s known for today. That year also saw the festival sell out for the first time, reflecting its skyrocketing popularity across Europe and beyond. 2010’s edition smashed its attendance record with a whopping 180,000 and saw the Tomorrowland debut of Swedish House Mafia, Hardwell, and several other world-class DJs.

By 2011, Tomorrowland had reached the mountaintop of international prominence, expanding to three days and winning its first International Dance Music Award for Best Event. The festival has continued moving full steam ahead since then, repeatedly selling out in record time, reaching an incredible 400,000 attendees and expanding to two weekends in 2017, and continually adding more gorgeous stages, gourmet food vendors, camping options, and travel packages.

As its flagship Belgium festival continued to thrive, Tomorrowland began setting its sights worldwide with spinoff festivals. Its American festival TomorrowWorld took place near Atlanta, Georgia from 2013-2015, while Tomorrowland Brasil in Sao Paulo took place in 2015 and 2016 before being revived last year. Tomorrowland Winter, a snowy dance music wonderland in the French Alps, debuted in 2019 and has remained a yearly staple thus far, recently confirming its return for 2025. 

Tomorrowland is continuing to expand its reach globally, bringing its beloved CORE stage to festivals in Mexico and Colombia and reportedly exploring a Tomorrowland Thailand festival beginning in 2026. They’re not limiting themselves to just festivals, either, as they continue to push the envelope on what the brand can be. Smaller events have been popping up in cities around the world such as Dubai, Ibiza, Barcelona, and Amsterdam, and they’ve even partnered with artists such as Afrojack and James Hype for a virtual Tomorrowland Academy teaching subscribers how to produce music and DJ.

As their 20th anniversary edition quickly approaches, Tomorrowland is showing no signs of slowing down their remarkable growth and innovation. Check out the official Tomorrowland 2024 playlist below!

Gus Johnson

Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, I’ve always had a passion for writing and was introduced to the EDM scene in 2017. Since then, I’ve attended countless shows and several major festivals including Tomorrowland, EDC Las Vegas, Decadence CO, Hard Summer, and Shambhala. Some of my favorite artists are Seven Lions, Zeds Dead, NGHTMRE, Trivecta, and Jason Ross.

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