Once again, Belgium’s Tomorrowland is the world’s best music festival

2020 and 2021 were zero years for these types of events, but the break has not diminished its reputation

Summer vibes are still a distance away from us, but here’s a reminder of the party potency of the hot season – the best music festival in the world for 2022, according to the readers of the popular DJ Mag magazine, was Tomorrowland in Belgium. Its next edition will be held at the end of July, so there’s something to include in your upcoming plans.

The music festival, which started back in 2005, has topped the ranking of the British magazine as decided by a poll conducted among more than 100,000 of its readers. The crowning achievement is nothing shorter than a confirmation of form, as Tomorrowland was also the last holder of that shiny title back in 2019. For now obvious reasons, the poll wasn’t conducted in 2020-2021 while the world was in the grip of a global pandemic.

Record number of visitors in 2022

Tomorrowland, held at De Schorre recreational park in Boom near Antwerp, has been consistently growing in influence among dance music enthusiasts. So much so that last year it broke its own attendance record, attracting 600,000 visitors (from 200 countries) over three weekends.

The numbers reflect the popularity of the event and the sway it holds on the EDM subculture. This year it will go to its usual format of two weekends (21-23 and 28-30 July).

"After two unprecedented years and enormous losses, there was absolutely no room for any failure in 2022," recalled Michiel Beers, Tomorrowland's co-founder and organizer, as quoted by The Brussels Times. "But we always kept believing, in our passionate team, the people of Tomorrow, all artists, partners and suppliers all over the world. We never let go of hope and continued to write our stories with healthy ambition, big dreams and positive vibes."

The symbol and icon of the festival is its mainstage, which is considered the largest and most elaborate of any festival in the world. Its design changes every year according to a chosen theme. 2022 also saw the largest ever stage – 270 metres wide and 53 metres high.