As
you are reading this, some lucky souls from Goa
and other parts of India would be taking their time recovering from
the madness that they witnessed live at one of the biggest electronic
dance music (EDM) festivals – Tomorrowland. Held between July
22-24, 2016 in Boom, Belgium, Tomorrowland witnessed a total of
4,50,000 visitors in total and a small portion of that mammoth crowd
comprised Indians (including a few of our local lads from Goa). Over
the years, Tomorrowland has garnered immense popularity among the
fans of EDM all over the world. Goa being the destination for some of
the biggest EDM festivals in Asia, has played a symbiotic role in the
popularity and fandom of EDM in the state and country as a whole. As
a result, a lot of Goans, joined by fans from other parts of India,
make a beeline to register their attendance in Belgium every year to
see their favourite artistes perform live at one of the most massive
set-ups and stages, before they are approached by EDM festival
organisers in India to perform in Goa maybe a couple of years later.
A few local lads from Goa who have gained popularity for their deejaying skills in the state and the country, like DJ Rinton and Ryan Nogar, chose to experience Tomorrowland from up close by making it to the festival this year. Café tried to learn about their experience but all efforts of contacting them went in vain. Another Goan DJ, Aditya Ganesh K, who attended the festival this year, narrates his experience: “I had expected it to be fun and crazy but it turned out to be mind-blowing. Once there, you realise that you share the same fandom for music with people from all over the world. You could see EDM lovers flaunting flags of their respective countries. And one thing is for sure - Tomorrowland is a place where music unites all, regardless of the race and language.”
Those who have attended Tomorrowland say that attending the festival requires planning months in advance. Aditya says, “Tickets just wipe off from the official website within minutes. You truly need to be lucky to get your hands on them. I was lucky to have Dutch friends who helped me get my tickets.”
Touted to be the paradise for any EDM lover, Tomorrowland has grown in size - from its inception in 2005 in Belgium to expanding to other countries like Brazil and USA; if rumours are to be believed, India is next on the cards. While Tomorrowland (Brazil) features the first on the calendar (held in the third weekend of April), Tomorrowland (Belgium) is held in the final weekend of July and its US counterpart, known as TomorrowWorld, is held in the final weekend of September.