“Been looking forward to this trip for 13 years”: EDM fan cries after spending $16K on Tomorrowland trip before its main stage burned down
A TikToker posted a tearful video after learning that the main stage for Belgium's Tomorrowland festival suffered massive fire damage.
The event was set to begin on Friday, but the fire that sparked on Wednesday has organizers scrambling to figure out solutions for guests arriving on Thursday.
Tomorrowland has additional stages and campsites available for use, for the record. But the gorgeous main stage that took years to build is far too damaged to feature in this year's festival.
"16K already spent"
One fan of electronic dance music, which the Belgium festival celebrates each year, went viral on TikTok with a brief video expressing her devastation. To dramatic tones, Emily (@buckybarnicals) sniffled and covered her face with her hands as the caption explained just how much she invested in her Tomorrowland trip.
@buckybarnicals I would like to clarify it’s 16k split between 2 people who have saved and waited and worked for this for a long long time. @Tomorrowland #tomorrowland #ravetok #belgium #eurotrip #rave #raver #europe #fire ♬ original sound - directedbynikita
"I leave on Monday and have been looking forward to this trip for 13 years," it reads, "and have 16k already spent and invested, and now the MainStage is burnt down."
Emily clarified in the video description that the $16,000 was split between two people, but that's still a lot of cash. That plus 13 years of buildup warrants a few tears.
Hopefully, Emily and others will still be able to enjoy the festival to some extent.
The main stage, however, serves as the artistic centerpiece of the event. Footage of the fire posted to X and pre-fire shots on TikTok show exactly what EDM fans will be missing this weekend.
@americanfille Shared in a Tomorrowland WhatsApp group I’m a part of - beautifully written and I thought the world should see it ❤️ #tomorrowland #tomorrowlandfire ♬ suono originale - swami
The best news is that no one was harmed by the fire. How the blaze started remains unclear.
"Get your priorities right"
While many TikTok commenters tried to comfort Emily. However, others came at her for spending $16,000 or $8,000 on a single trip.
As usual, the chronically online felt they had a right to judge someone for how she chose to spend her own money.
TikToker @covvee7 wrote, "As someone who goes to multiple music festivals a year, spending 16k on one is insane."
"16k maybe it’s a sign to get your priorities right," said @lattomamiiii.
"Priorities r straighter than ever," Emily shot back.
As the video spread to gain over two million views, others spoke up to tell the Tomorrowland fan that she can do what she wants.
"I have no idea what Tomorrowland is, but all the people coming for you for spending money on a trip you've wanted to do your whole life can kick rocks," said @retic14. "This isn't a spur-of-the-moment weekend trip. I hope it all works out and you still have fun."
Americans might not understand just how huge this festival is. As such, Emily responded to the above comment to begin to put it into perspective.
"It’s the world's largest EDM music festival," she explained. "It’s INCREDIBLE! A little under 500,000 people go across 2 weekends every year. There’s 16 stages. The biggest names play. It’s incredible."
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