It's one of the biggest dance
music parties in the world,
hundreds of thousands of
festival goers flock to
Tomorrowland in Belgium during
two jam-packed weekends of live
electronic dance music.
But like many large-scale live music festivals,
music is just one part of
business at Tomorrowland.
So we are walking into the festival,
it is literally stepping into the world of tomorrow,
the whole festival here is cashless.
To make purchases you'll need a wristband,
which is also your ticket in.
By the way these wristbands
they can get pretty expensive.
How much did you pay for that one?
I paid like 790 euros.
That's a lot of money.
Concessions are valued in Tomorrowland's
own virtual currency, called pearls.
So the cost for popcorn is three pearls,
which is about five euros.
But forget carnival food like
hotdogs and fries.
Here you can get healthy
options like organic salad from
a local Belgian farmer,
or frozen yogurt with fresh fruit,
or gourmet diners can enjoy
a three-course tasting menu
from a world-class chef,
while still dancing to the
beats of a popular DJ.
Music festivals like Tomorrowland
are increasingly catering
to a high-end audience with a wide range
of luxurious add-on options.
Here in DreamVille,
Tomorrowland guests can opt for
a VIP experience with their own
cabanas for the weekend.
It'll set you back around 2000 euros,
but you get your on bed, jacuzzi and
even a 24-hour reception desk.
If dancing to the music isn't
enough of a workout for you,
you can still break a sweat
here at the gym on site.
The luxury accommodations are a
big shift from the scene at
festivals like Woodstock
nearly 50 years ago.
World famous DJ Armin van Buuren
says Tomorrowland has its own counterculture.
I think this is the Woodstock of 2017.
It's a cultural movement,
it's beyond the festival.
It's a music festival combined
with a theme park,
combined with a food festival,
combined with a cultural event.
Festivals like Tomorrowland are
one way businesses and artists
are reaching a younger generation
choosing to spend major cash
on once-in-a-lifetime experiences -
all captured online.
Those people if they like you,
they'll become new fans or
friends and they'll follow you,
they'll share it.
Tomorrowland's growth has been
explosive since the festival
launched in 2005.
400,000 people attend during
two weekends and tickets sell out in minutes.
The festival has put Belgium in
the global spotlight with the
prime minister taking a front
row seat to the show this year.
You can choose from 16 different stages here
featuring some of the biggest names in
electronic dance music.
As an artist,
when you look out and you see
people holding up flags and you
see flags from all kinds of countries,
this is the most international festival out there.
Tomorrowland is trying to capitalize
on its global popularity,
but the festival has
struggled to replicate its
success outside of Belgium.
A Tomorrowland concert in Barcelona this year
was canceled when the stage caught fire
from a technical malfunction.
Separate Tomorrowland and
TomorrowWorld festivals
launched in Brazil and the U.S.
were shut down after a couple of years.
Organizers say it can be challenging
to pair with local agencies
who just don't have as much festival experience.
Tomorrowland is a very difficult festival
because we need lots of manpower to do it.
Lots of energy, lots of time,
and you cannot do this in one year.
We really need the time to make it
good in other countries, too.
Smaller music festivals can
have a hard time keeping up to create
one-of-a-kind experiences like this.
That's why a couple of companies
are dominating the music festival market.
Live Nation and AEG run some
of the world's biggest music festivals
like Lollapalooza in Chicago
and Coachella in Indio, California.
They have the resources to take
risks independent festivals can't.
Tomorrowland is still run by
its founding team, but the
festival experience has come a
long way from its first show
more than a decade ago.
When you think about how far
music festivals have come over the years,
it's just amazing.