Is Tomorrowland Overrated? 20 Cool Things Tomorrowland Has That Most Festivals Don’t
Is Tomorrowland overrated?
No.
Why not?
Tomorrowland has a lot of things that many festivals don’t have. Tomorrowland has delved into the world of luxury festival experiences and also an all-consuming experience. This means that they want you to believe that you really are on holiday, that you really have left your normal life behind for the weekend. Forget muddy fields and smelly portaloos, Tomorrowland is something more. Here’s 20 cool things that Tomorrowland has that many festivals do not.
1. An actual on-site supermarket
Yup, Tomorrowland has an actual supermarket to buy groceries in when you’re staying in Dreamville. The whole shop is erected before the festival and then taken down afterwards. Prices are reasonable considering and the whole shop is decorated as if you’re in a forest, EDM is also playing inside. Over the past few years, it was a Lidl and then last year it changed to a Carrefour. It’s seriously handy and just as seriously cool to have an actual supermarket there.
2. A mansion as an accommodation package
If you’re willing to fork out around 35,000 euros, then Tomorrowland will build a ‘mansion’ for your group during the festival. These will then be taken down once the festival is over. They include a bedroom for your guests, bathrooms, kitchen and added extras such as a masseuse and a butler.
How many other festivals have something as crazy as this? At Tomorrowland, you will see people willing to pay a s**t load of money to stay there.
3. A tattoo parlour to get your very own Tomorrowland tattoo
Tomorrowland has its own tattoo parlour with a range of different talented tattoo artists, creating Tomorrowland-inspired designs that you can choose from and get tattooed right there on site during the festival. These designs follow the theme of the year and are all original.
They don’t come cheap, but they are worth it IMO. I’m actually toying with the idea of getting one myself this year.
4. Free bicycles to get you to and from the festival and Dreamville
If you’ve never noticed these before and you’ve been to Tomorrowland, it’s probably because they’ve already been taken by excited fellow TML-ers. The bicycles are found just outside Dreamville, across the road when you’re on that long journey to the main Tomorrowland entrance. They aren’t just any old bikes either, they are like circus bikes. For example, some bikes you have to pedal backwards to go forwards, some have wonky wheels so you end up bouncing up and down to go forward and some are miniature bicycles – you get the jist.
It’s hilarious when you’re drunk (it’s hard enough when sober). Many-a-time I’ve been dodging the crowd, drunk, Strongbow in hand, on a wonky as hell Tomorrowland bicycle.
5. Tickets are actual cashless wristbands
The usual paper tickets or fabric wristbands that you keep on your arm forever are a thing of the past for Tomorrowland. Tomorrowland has their own watch-styled wristband, which you can use to enter the festival, enter your onsite accommodation, pay for things while you’re there and also for sentimental value. Some wristbands are so nice and I really didn’t want to take mine off when I got home! That follows us on to the next point…
6. Treasure boxes
A few weeks before the festival begins, Tomorrowland sends out their treasure boxes to all who managed to buy tickets. Inside these beautiful boxes is your wristband (your ‘ticket’), where you can enter the festival and load your festival money onto it (like I just said above). The boxes are different every year and follow the theme of the festival. It always includes some kind of cool features like a music box or a jewellery box.
It’s unique as hell and makes Tomorrowland 100 x more exciting.
7. Proper porcelain toilets everywhere
This is a literal luxury if you are used to regular festival experience. They are usually always portaloos, with some better than others. Some are literally a massive hole where you can quite literally see the bowel movements of hundreds of people before you and others you can ‘flush’ but it’s still a plastic smelly hole.
Tomorrowland has proper toilets everywhere – as you’d have at home. It just makes everything better. It’s the little things in life, eh?
8. Extensive accommodation options (and I mean extensive)
Tomorrowland offers a ridiculous amount of packages, all varying in price and luxury. Here I’ll list every single option you have at Tomorrowland (I’ve already discussed the mansion package). Crazy amount, huh?
- Magnificent Greens Package
- A Magnificent Greens Tent 1P Package
- Magnificent Greens Tent 2P Package
- CAMP2CAMP Pre Pitched 2P Packages
- CAMP2CAMP Friends Package
- Friendship Garden Package
- Spectacular Friendship Garden Package
- Easy Tent 2P Package
- Spectacular Easy Tent 2P Package
- Supreme Easy Tent 2P Package
- Easy Tent 4P Package
- Spectacular Easy Tent 4P Package
- Relax Room Package
- Spectacular Relax Room Package
- DreamLodge Package
- Spectacular DreamLodge Package
- Kokono Packages
- Cabana Packages
- Mansion Packages
- Global Journey Packages
9. 24hr security/check-in desks at your accommodation
For some accommodation packages (such as cabanas), there are actually people sat at a ‘reception desk’, like you would in a hotel. There are there to greet you when you get back to your accommodation at all times. There are available 24 hours a day, meaning that if you have any issues or need some help, you can do up to the desk at any time. This is certainly unique for a festival that isn’t a hotel and ideal if you need any help or advice.
10. Their own luxury jewellery line and shop at the festival
You know when you walk into a nice jewellery shop such as Pandora and all the jewellery is all sat out in glass cabinets with the lights shining in all the right ways to catch the diamonds glistening? Tomorrowland has their own shop in Dreamville for just this. You buy beautiful jewellery there, and some can even set you back a few grand. Perfect for a Tomorrowland marriage proposal. 😉
11. Their own radio station
Radio Brussel and Tomorrowland collaborate during the festival and the radio station has its own studio in Dreamville. Here you can hear what’s going on inside the festival if you live in the surrounding area or if you’re in Dreamville too hungover to get out of bed.
It’s common to see mini raves outside there when the festival finishes for the night and music is playing. They also run competitions and you can see/hear exclusive interviews with DJs throughout the whole festival.
12. Their own flights (and Global Journey and Explore Europe as a whole)
Tomorrowland even has their own flights! If you end up on a Tomorrowland party plane, the plane itself has Tomorrowland written all over it, it’s own Tomorrowland flight attendants and it even has its own check-in desk. Tomorrowland check-in desks are found in most major airports (regardless of the party plane) and the Eurostar.
13. Their own festival newspaper
Every morning Tomorrowland brings out a whole full-sized free newspaper about what has gone down at the festival. We were always dubious that it was made from scratch, but every day you could see both pictures and stories that you recognised that gone on that day – it definitely is brand new every day/week.
Every morning at Dreamville is like a regular day, but 10x better. You wake up, have a shower, head to the forested party supermarket, pick up some breakfast and grab a Tomorrowland paper on the way back.
14. They can control the weather (well, sort of)
Tomorrowland borrows “hail cannons” from local farmers to help break up rain clouds. This is to help disperse ridiculous hailstorms (like the one that hit Belgium in 2011 at Pukkelpop). It’s not foolproof, but it’s still pretty rad that they have it. If you hear loud booms in the morning, chances are it’s the cannons. Originally it’s to stop crops being damaged by the weather and now it’s used for us. So cool!
15. Actual restaurants
Tomorrowland has a variety of actual restaurants at the festival, including one ‘secret’ invite-only restaurant within the main stage and the Tastes of The World Tomorrowland main stage restaurant, which overlooks the festival.
Other festivals have started to incorporate restaurants in their festival experience, but Tomorrowland has a variety and the views are stunning!
16. Pools and hot tubs
Tomorrowland has a variety of different pools, hot tubs and massage chairs in Tomorrowland/Dreamville, only accessible to people who have certain festivals passes (such as comfort) or accommodation packages (such as relax rooms). Seriously cool to have at a festival.
17. A postal service
Tomorrowland has a post room, where you can buy a Tomorrowland postcard and get it sent straight from Tomorrowland to your country of choice. Admittedly, you’d probably already be home before the postcard even gets there, but that’s just nostalgia from back in the day when we used to send holiday postcards to our school friends whenever we went on our holidays and get back to school before they even received it.
18. A detox day after the festival
Going to Tomorrowland is tough. You can’t sleep because you’re either too drunk or too excited (or it can be a bit noisy), you’re hungover, you’re feet are killing you from intense dancing for days and you’re so depressed that it’s all over. This is why Tomorrowland puts on a ‘Detox Day.’ This is to spend the day after Tomorrowland chilling with pilates, yoga, massages, smoothies and salads. Just pure zen. Such a great idea!
Note: The Detox Day is only included with people who have: a flight package with a return flight on Tuesday, OR a discover Europe package 1 or 4 with a departure to the next city on Tuesday OR a hotel package with check-out on a Tuesday.
19. Some of the biggest stages in the world
The Tomorrowland main stages are some of the biggest in the world. You really can’t gage just how big they are until you stand under them, it is literally like standing under a high-rise building (which is essentially what it is). Every year they are completely original and get more and more impressive every year. It’s definitely something that you’d need to see for yourself.
20. A chapel (well, they did!)
For many years Tomorrowland had a Love Chapel, which now is no longer part of Tomorrowland (not sure why). Anyway, it’s pretty gross but hilarious. Tomorrowland wanted to encourage safe sex, so they had this chapel where you could spend a few minutes with someone in it and have all of your protection handed out to you beforehand. With a queue of people outside, I imagine it wasn’t a great atmosphere to get down and dirty and I have zero clue whether they changed the bed every time, but what other festival can you find this cool, but totally gross service?
What other things have I missed? Drop it in the comments. Don’t forget to follow my social media and subscribe (all in the sidebar or scroll to the bottom if you’re on mobile). Have a great time at TML!