Tomorrowland Forced to Cancel 2020 Edition Due to Pandemic
With large social gatherings of all varieties being canceled or postponed to protect against the spread of the novel Coronavirus, news from Belgium’s massive Tomorrowland festival seemed inevitable. The festival, which planned to host a two-weekend extravaganza in July, announced the postponement of the 16th edition of the festival until 2021.
“This situation is extremely hard on us all. As a community, we are sad, disappointed, and angry – but also hopeful, because we know that we are much stronger than this setback. What we started together in 2005 became a strong global symbol. We will triumph together and will continue to unite.”
— Tomorrowland, via official statement
The cancellation seemed inevitable after the Belgian National Security Council announced Wednesday that large-scale gatherings in the country would be banned through the end of August. The declaration forced other popular Belgian festivals like Pukkelpop and Rock Werchter to announce their cancellations as well.
The six-day festival, spread out over two weekends, has been set for July 16–18 and July 23–25. The festival said that tickets purchased for the 2020 edition would be automatically honored for the 2021 festival. It appears, however, that Tomorrowland is not offering refunds to their customers at this time. The FAQ page on the Tomorrowland website indicates that those who will be unable to attend can have the name changed on the package, essentially encouraging customers to re-sell their tickets themselves.
While its unclear when the next music festival will be able to take place, Tomorrowland did the right thing by canceling July’s event well in advance. Dance Rebels encourages all to stay inside, avoid non-essential travel and be vigilant with good hygiene.
