How severe is the financial shock after the main stage burnt down? Tomorrowland insurers face millions

The fire at Tomorrowland's main stage caused millions in damage. Fire insurance should cover this. The festival has a substantial financial buffer to absorb shocks.


The organizers and staff of Tomorrowland experienced a true nightmare on Wednesday when the main stage burned down. Two years of work went up in flames in just a few hours. But as it stands, the fire doesn't appear to be a financial disaster for the organizers, thanks to their insurers. The sold-out festival will go ahead as planned, and few visitors have reportedly requested refunds for their tickets. The festival's main source of income has thus been safeguarded.


The burned-out stage was partly made up of one-off stage elements made by Tomorrowland employees themselves, one-off pieces purchased from suppliers, and rented equipment that could normally be reused. The one-off pieces were lost in the fire, but the costs were already covered by ticket revenue. It's a shame for all the work, but no real financial loss.



Tomorrowland Brazil

However, a problem looms for Tomorrowland Brazil 2026. The main stage's set is normally used for the Brazilian version of the festival, a year and a half after the Boom edition. Because it can't be shipped in time, the previous year's set is being used. This fall, the 2024 set will still be in place in Brazil. This year's set would only be used next year. The advantage for the organizers is that there's still plenty of time to find a solution for the 2026 Brazilian edition.


Rental companies are facing significant losses in equipment that needs to be repurchased. The 45-meter-high and 160-meter-wide stage is packed with screens, lights, fountains, and sound equipment. Nearly a hundred sound boxes cost around €45,000 each. The sound equipment alone has caused €4 million in damage. The stage also includes a thousand square meters of LED screens, supplied by Pixelscreen, Frank Verstraeten's company. A square meter of screen easily costs €3,000 per square meter, so this also accounts for around €3 million in damage. The stage's framework consists of rented scaffolding from the German company Layher and steel towers from Stageco. A Layher connector costs around €50, and the stage itself contains tens of thousands of them.



Pukkelpop and Gent Jazz

According to Serge Platel, director of the Federation of Music Festivals (FMiV), festivals are generally well insured, with fire insurance being practically standard. "Everyone who organizes something like this has multiple insurance policies. It depends on the organizers to decide what to insure and what not to insure. But I suspect Tomorrowland definitely has fire insurance." Festivals are also generally insured against storm damage.


Since the fire only involved material damage, Tomorrowland's insurer will likely not have much difficulty in reimbursing the rental companies for the damages. In the event of a cancellation, discussions with insurers are often much more difficult, and the policy doesn't cover ticket refunds. As a result, organizations like Pukkelpop faced significant financial challenges after the 2011 storm edition and Gent Jazz after the cancellation of the Sting concert. But since Tomorrowland is continuing until further notice, that discussion is not an issue.



Finally, there's Weareone.world, the organization behind Tomorrowland. According to the latest figures, it boasts a more than substantial war chest. At the time of its last balance sheet, on December 31, 2024, the organization had reserves of €45 million. It also has no financial debt. Therefore, Tomorrowland has some room to cover additional costs that might not be covered by insurance.

Source: De Standaard 27/06 via License2publish

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