APRIL | COVER FEATURE
D espite a war raging , inflation soaring , varying levels of Covid-19 mitigation measures still being in place , and widespread supply chain strains , festival operators across Europe are seeing huge demand .
Among the many festivals to sell out swiftly was the giant EDM event series Tomorrowland in Belgium . The 14-stage festival , which was launched in 2005 by brothers Manu and Michiel Beers , usually takes place across two July weekends in Boom .
After a two-year hiatus , and losses of around £ 21 million following the cancellation of four festival weekend events due to the pandemic , Tomorrowland ’ s promoters We Are One World were given permission to operate a third weekend event this summer .
Having already shifted 400,000 tickets in minutes for the original two weekend events , the Antwerp-based operation saw the 200,000 tickets for the third Tomorrowland weekend sell out in just 17 minutes .
The festival will see around 700 acts perform across 14 stages , including headliners Diplo , Alesso , Sofi Tukker , Marshmello , Martin Garrix , DJ Diesel and Major Lazer .
“ We got permission from the Province of Antwerp , the City of Boom and Rumst to organise , exceptionally and only in 2022 , an extra festival weekend to compensate the losses of the last year ,” says Tomorrowland ’ s Debby Wilmsen .
During the pandemic ,
European festival operators are seeing strong demand for tickets , despite the lingering impact of the pandemic and the Ukraine War , and there is no shortage of new major events launching this year and existing ones being extended . Access investigates .
Words : Christopher Barrett
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