How did a Tomorrowland eyewitness react as the mainstage fire erupted? 

When the Tomorrowland 2025 mainstage caught fire on Wednesday (July 16), those on site were left speechless. One of them was Kay Soesbergen, who witnessed the chaos unfold from the DreamVille camping area. Reaction?

“Disbelief.”

Soesbergen, who was working at a vending spot on the festival grounds, noticed someone nearby filming in the direction of the stage. Curious, he turned to look and saw a massive cloud of smoke rising from the main festival area. That’s when he knew something was wrong. But it wasn’t until the fireworks started going off that the panic really set in.

“I got a call from one of my supervisors who told me that it was the mainstage on fire,” he recalled.

And just like that, what was meant to be a calm day before the festival turned into one of confusion and fear.

Tomorrowland 2025 mainstage fire reaction goes viral

The fire happened just two days before Weekend 1 of Tomorrowland was supposed to begin. Soesbergen and his crew were immediately evacuated to a staging area as firefighters tried to bring the fire into submission. He estimates it took about two or three hours before things stabilized and they could be cleared from the scene later that night.

At that moment, there was tension on the ground.

"When we saw the firefighters refilling water everywhere, we knew they had it in their hands. That is when we started relaxing a bit," he added.

Meanwhile, social networks were filled with videos of the stage in flames, fireworks that kept exploding as the building fell apart. The Tomorrowland mainstage is renowned for its scale and over-the-top design, and people couldn't believe that it was destroyed before the festival had even opened.

At a press conference, Tomorrowland's representative explained that the event will go on but not including the mainstage. It will affect both weekends of the event, and preparations are being re-done to fit the situation. Cancellation at the moment, however, is not being considered unless the local authorities would say that the area is unsafe.

For fans and organisers, this is a huge blow. The mainstage is the heart of the festival, and its loss just before opening day is something no one saw coming.

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“The first hour and a half was really about disbelief,” said Soesbergen.

And that feeling? It’s one many attendees probably still share.

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