Eagle-eyed attendees at this year’s Tomorrowland festival have spotted a teaser suggesting the global dance phenomenon is headed to Australia for the first time.
Widely regarded as one of the world’s biggest music festivals, Tomorrowland has been steadily expanding beyond its Belgian home with its jungle-themed CORE stage travelling across the world.
A map installation on the festival grounds teased upcoming locations, with Melbourne appearing marked for a potential event in November 2026.
If confirmed, it would mark the Australian debut of the CORE event series, following recent international editions in Medellín, Colombia, in February and Los Angeles in May.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ approached Tomorrowland management for comment.
@mofftits Spotted at Core stage Tomorrowland Belgium W2 🫣 #tomorrowland #australia #2026 ♬ original sound – moff
It follows a successful 2025 edition for the Belgian festival, despite a fire tearing through the intricate main stage on the eve of its opening day.
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However, an unlikely saviour came from heavy metal legends Metallica, who airlifted stage parts from their M72 World Tour stored in Austria at the 11th hour.
One of this year’s headlining acts, Martin Garrix, took to Instagram to thank the metal heavyweights.
“I can not believe I’m actually typing this… but my set at Tomorrowland is still happening,” the post reads.
Massive love and a big shoutout to the incredible @tomorrowland team for pulling off miracles — and to @Metallica for coming through with the new stage parts.”
It’s currently still unclear what caused the fire. In some videos shared online, what sounded like fireworks could be heard popping off in the background as firefighters worked to contain the blaze. Sources told the Gazet van Antwerpen that something may have gone wrong while the main stage’s fireworks cannons were being tested.
A local firefighter, François van den Eynde, told reporters that the blaze “spread very quickly,” likely because of the “materials used” to build the stage. “Despite all our resources, it was impossible to stop something like that,” he said. “We tried to extinguish the fire, but as soon as you realize you’re not succeeding, you have to limit the damage to the rest of the festival site. That’s what we did. Everything is under control.”
The 2025 Tomorrowland line-up boasted a number of big name acts like Axwell, Eric Prydz, Armin Van Buuren and John Summit, as well as Australian producers including FISHER and NERVO.
