Tomorrowland music festival opens with new stage after blaze / Photo: © Belga/AFP
Tomorrowland music festival opens with new stage after blaze
Belgium's Tomorrowland, one of the world's largest electronic music festivals, opened its doors as planned on Friday, after the event was thrown into doubt by a fire that destroyed its main stage.
Organisers said an "alternative setup" was put in place to replace the "beloved main stage" that went up in flames on Wednesday.
The causes of the blaze were not yet clear.
"Our teams are working day and night, with heart and soul, to turn the impossible into reality," they said in a statement. "Tomorrowland will unite, stronger than ever!"
Local television footage showed hundreds of festival-goers filing past the gates at the site in Boom, near Antwerp in the early afternoon.
Around 400,000 people are expected to attend over two weekends, with scores of DJs including David Guetta, Lost Frequencies and Charlotte de Witte scheduled to perform.
Images of the blaze circulated widely on social media, showing flames tearing apart the impressive set design depicting a frozen fairytale kingdom, with a giant ice-covered lion, castles and snow peaks.
The new main stage -- a smaller structure -- was erected in less than 48 hours.
After fire authorities and the police deemed it safe, it was due to open on Friday at 4pm (1400 GMT), two hours after the rest of the festival, which has another 15 stages.
"It's a new concept, the artists will be very close to the audience, in a more intimate way," Debby Wilmsen, a spokeswoman for the event, told reporters.
Tomorrowland was founded 20 years ago by two Flemish brothers in a country that pioneered the genre.
The festival relocates to Brazil in October, and a winter edition is held every year in the Alpe d'Huez ski resort in France.
O.Klein--NRZ
