Tomorrowland 2020 set to be cancelled - where do we get a refund on 2020!!!

When the world learnt that Tomorrowland Winter and Ultra Music Festival were going to have their 2020 editions of the festival cancelled, we all had a small cry to ourselves, shrugged it off and resounded with optimism that come July, COVID-19 wouldn’t be a thing, and life as we knew it would be back to normal.

Fast forward to today, and we’re thick in the deep of festivals around the world cancelling or postponing their 2020 editions, and quite frankly, I am one festival cancellation away from having a Brittany Spears circa 2009 mental breakdown, especially if what I am understanding is true, and Tomorrowland is set to cancel.

Who am I kidding? It’s not like all signs are leading down a positive path. Currently, Belgian and Dutch authorities have implemented a cease on all live acts/festivals/events until June 1st, in a bid to #SaveSummer, the hashtag that has been spread among the UK and European region to share light in this extremely long COVID tunnel. 

The article that is causing a stir on the internet comes directly from RTBF, a Belgian broadcasting agency for the French-speaking community, which states that Mayors for both Werchter and Aarstelaar, the neighbouring towns of Boom and Rumst, where Tomorrowland and its iconic campgrounds, Dreamville, are both held, have both mentioned the cancellation of all festivals taking place in their communities for the 2020 summer, in a preventative measure to cease the spread of the novel virus. This comes after Federal Minister of Domestic Affairs, Pieter De Crem, announced on Wallon radio channel La Premiere that “Major summer festivals such as Tomorrowland (Boom) and Rock Werchter (Werchter) will most likely be cancelled by The National Security Council”.

Additionally, Sophie De Wit (N-VA), Mayor of Aartselaar, explained to RTBF that she never called for the cancellation of the festival taking place in the town of Boom, as it was “not her responsibility”. However, the Mayor of  Boom, where Tomorrowland was set to take place for its 16th consecutive year, had called to cancel the festival, stating “The time has come to say ‘It stops here’”. As of today, no official decision has been passed down to the people of Boom, and the community surrounding it.

We have spoken about the trend that starts when there are rumours about a festival being cancelled. One of those trends is that artists' tour schedules will always reflect the changes before the festival organizers make any comment. We have seen this happen with the likes of Ultra Miami, Coachella and EDC, and we are now beginning to see the repeat of this past tendency, with artists such as David Guetta removing the Belgian festival from his tour schedule, and Don Diablo having ‘To Be Confirmed’ listed against all tour dates. 

As much as I would love to scream a belated "APRIL FOOLS!", there is just way too much uncertainty surrounding this. Even in the likelihood that Tomorrowland does go ahead, the Australian government still (realistically) won't have opened interstate borders by July, let alone internationally, having previously stated our borders could be closed for a 6 month period. 

I guess now is the time to suggest everyone starts cancelling plans; call your travel insurance provider to seek accurate information about what you will be covered for, do some research with this information and know your rights, you might as well, there isn’t anything more important going on during your self iso.