Third Tomorrowland weekend in Boom this summer gets green light
The Flemish Environment and Planning Minister Zuhal Demir (nationalist) has granted the dance music festival Tomorrowland a permit for an exceptional third weekend this year.
Tomorrowland takes place in the recreation area 'De Schorre' in Boom, in Antwerp province. To make up for two years of cancelled events due to corona, organisers wanted to stage an extra weekend this year, on top of the two normal weekends. They claim they need this weekend to make up for a loss of 25 million euros.
The Antwerp provincial authorities approved the request, but a local resident and a group of environmental activists launched an appeal, after which the file ended up on the minister's desk. The minister argues that she received a positive advice from her administration and from fire services, after extra measures have been take to counter possible nuisance.
The third weekend can go ahead considering the extra measures taken to reduce the impact
Helicopter flights have been cancelled, and noise nuisance due to power generators will be downsized. The position of the stages will be reconsidered, and the festival should stay out of De Schorre's adjacent most valuable natural area.
Tomorrowland will take place in the weekends of 15-16-17 July, 22-23-24 July and 29-30-31 July. Organisers expect about 600,000 visitors for the three events together. They welcome over 700 artists, who will perform on 14 different stages. The main theme of the renowned dance festival will be "Reflection of Love", the original theme of the cancelled 2020 edition. The festival will bring together the world's best electronic music DJ's.