A woman died after attending the first day of Tomorrowland 2025.
A statement provided to Billboard by the festival’s spokesperson Debby Wilmsen says that a 35-year-old Canadian woman “became unwell on the festival grounds” on Friday, July 18.
“She received immediate first aid and was then transferred to the University Hospital of Antwerp for further medical care,” the statement continues. The follow following morning (July 19), the festival’s team was informed that the woman had died.
The statement concludes by saying that “our thoughts are with her family, friends, and loved ones. The Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the cause of death and will provide further updates.”
The news is the latest headline from a tumultuous week for the world’s biggest dance music festival. On July 16, the festival’s massive mainstage, an annual showpiece of the festival, burned down. The cause of the fire has not yet been announced, and no one was injured.
Festival staff were able to clear the mainstage site in time for opening day of the festival, constructing a new stage in front of the ruins of the old one. Some of the parts for this new stage were borrowed from Metallica, who offered up some pieces from their M72 world tour stage that were being stored in Austria. Those pieces were airlifted to Belgium overnight.
Organizers also worked with regular festival partners Pixel Screen, Stageco and Prismax to rebuild the stage.
The second weekend of Tomorrowland 2025 begins this Friday, July 25. The festival reports hosting approximately 400,000 attendees annually over its two weekends.
