The iconic electronic music festival Tomorrowland concludes today in Boom, Belgium, featuring a performance by Portuguese DJ Diego Miranda on Saturday. The stage was surrounded by trees, plants, and an enchanting decor reminiscent of a magical nature setting, adorned with the green, red, and yellow of the Portuguese flag.
“‘Bora’, Portugal,” exclaimed Diego Miranda, wrapped in a flag from the audience, addressing the hundreds of Portuguese fans attending his performance.
Gabriela, part of a group of eight family members aged 40 to 50 from Fundão, expressed to Lusa that attending Tomorrowland “is the fulfillment of a dream.”
“We’ve wanted to come ever since the festival began [in 2005],” Gabriela shared.
Beside her, Nuno agreed, stating, “It’s fantastic, a must-repeat. We wanted to be here today to support a Portuguese DJ.”
Gabriela concluded, “We understand why they call this the ‘Disneyland for adults.”
Lia and her boyfriend Emanuel, aged 26 and 30, respectively, who live in Switzerland and are originally from Águeda, are attending Tomorrowland for the first time.
“This was a dream for us. I’m speechless,” Lia told Lusa.
In contrast to Gabriela’s family, Lia and Emanuel opted for accommodation in the festival’s campsite, spending approximately 1,500 euros per person on tickets, camping, and flights.
“It’s well worth it, though I spent five and a half hours trying to purchase a ticket,” Lia noted, attributing the difficulty to the online sales system that offers limited, randomly selected spots, which sell out rapidly due to the festival’s popularity.
“There are more Portuguese here than I expected,” they further commented.
Rui, who is attending Tomorrowland for the third year with friends from Felgueiras, reiterated the dream.
Rui told Lusa, “As the festival becomes more commercialized, it gains popularity, which attracts more Portuguese attendees.”
“But this will always be the best festival,” Rui affirmed, eager to “support Portugal” while watching Diego Miranda’s set.
In an interview with Lusa, Diego Miranda expressed that performing at Tomorrowland once again fulfilled a long-held dream, granting him “international visibility” and sparking “growing enthusiasm” among Portuguese festival-goers.
This year’s festival, which began in 2005 and takes place over an area equal to 63 football fields after 53 days of preparation, is themed ‘Orbyz,’ evoking a universe of ice teeming with mythical creatures and ancient secrets.
Approximately 400,000 attendees from over 200 nationalities are expected over the two festival weekends in Boom, featuring performances by more than 850 DJs on 16 stages.
Among the performing DJs, 14 are Brazilian, marking one of the largest national presences at Tomorrowland, joined by Portuguese and other Lusophone countries, but predominantly Belgians and Americans, as per the organization.
Featured artists include Portuguese DJ Diego Miranda and international acts Amelie Lens, Armin van Buuren, Bob Sinclar, Charlotte de Witte, David Guetta, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Hardwell, John Summit, Lost Frequencies, Martin Garrix, Steve Aoki, and Swedish House Mafia.
Brazilians on the lineup include Alok, Anna, Vintage Culture, and Zerb.
The festival, renowned as the ‘Disneyland for adults,’ has been sold out for several months.
