There may yet be life for Tomorrowland’s American and Brazilian offshoots. The Belgian, two-weekend event is one of the largest dance music festivals in the world, and while its attempts to branch out into North and South America haven’t always been easy, the future looks bright — kind of.
In late 2013, the now-defunct SFX investment company acquired a 75 percent stake in Tomorrowland operator ID&T. SFX filed for bankruptcy in 2015, eventually reemerging as LiveStyle, retaining its stake in the ID&T events. Today, LiveStyle President and CEO Randy Phillips favors the possibility of a TomorrowWorld return.
“It is a work in progress now that we are through our own festival season in North America and our partners at M&M Belgium are returning from their summer holiday,” Phillips says in an emailed statement. “Returning to Brazil at the Tomorrowland site is a priority, while we analyze returning to the farm outside of Atlanta, or looking at other sites in different markets in North America.”
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For two glorious years, TomorrowWorld seemed like one of the best dance music festivals fans could attend. It cropped up just outside of Atlanta in 2013 and was nominated by the International Dance Music Awards as the “Best Music Event” of the year. In 2014, it had a successful return, but in 2015, it was plagued by rain and poor planning. Fans found themselves stranded in miles of mud, unable to leave festival grounds, and its parent-company SFX’s following bankruptcy ensured it’s unsavory demise.
Meanwhile, an expansion of the flagship Tomorrowland went swimmingly in Brazil both 2015 and 2016, though 2017 was cancelled due to economic instability in the country.
While official dates and lineups remain figments of dance’s collective imagination, it’s nice to see a glimmer of hope for those who remember the good days of TomorrowWorld and Tomorrowland Brasil fondly. Stay tuned for more updates.