The organizers of Tomorrowland were told this week that they would not be allowed to set off fireworks during the festival’s opening weekend, a decision local officials attributed to a persistent drought and an elevated risk of wildfires, Het Laatste Nieuws reports.Ad 0:00 Click for sound 0:00 / 0:00 The ban reportedly covers both the grounds at the De Schorre recreational park in Boom and the neighboring Dreamville campsite in Rumst, where many attendees stay during the iconic EDM festival.
It applies to the festival’s first weekend, which runs from July 17-19, and leaves open the possibility that a similar restriction could be imposed over the ensuing weekend.The ban comes a year after a catastrophic fire destroyed Tomorrowland’s ‘Orbyz’ mainstage just 48 hours prior to the festival’s start, a setback that has made this year’s safety precautions especially sensitive for organizers still working to reassure fans and local residents.
Local reports this week claimed an accidental ethanol leak by a subcontractor was to blame for the decimation of the enormous stage, which had taken two years to build.The decision was made jointly by the mayors of Boom and Rumst, Jeroen Baert and Jurgen Callaerts, in consultation with Cathy Berx, the governor of Antwerp Province, after a safety meeting with fire officials.
Belgium’s fire risk index currently places the region under code orange, the second-highest alert level, meaning conditions are dry enough to pose a serious danger.A jump to code red would indicate an extreme and imminent threat.
Callaerts said the discussion among officials had been brief.“There was actually little discussion during the meeting with the security services, the fire department and the governor,” he said in a statement translated from Dutch, noting that the assessment was unlikely to change before the festival begins.
He claims to have notified organizers as...