University-Led Analysis Finds Festival Protocols Robust

The comprehensive risk analysis was conducted under coordination of the Crisis Governance Chair at the University of Antwerp, combining specialized studies on fire safety, crowd management, and overall risk assessment. The report was presented during a neighborhood meeting at Lab of Tomorrow in Boom.

Both fire safety protocols and evacuation capacity proved largely robust, with analyses showing visitors can quickly reach safe areas even in exceptional scenarios while maintaining established safety standards. No fundamental structural changes are required for the festival organization.

LiDAR Technology and Pre-Positioned Fire Teams Among New Measures

The festival will implement several additional measures for 2026, including enhanced crowd monitoring through LiDAR technology and real-time density monitoring. This allows live tracking of visitor flows and crowd density, enabling operational teams to respond quickly to congestion or evacuation scenarios through the festival's central command structure.

Additional fire response teams will be pre-positioned at strategic locations including the MainStage and The Great Library, working in cooperation with local fire brigades for faster incident response. The MainStage evacuation tunnels and passageways will receive additional protection to ensure they remain operational throughout necessary evacuation periods.

Backup teams will cover critical operational and safety functions to ensure continuity during prolonged periods of increased pressure, while show stop procedures are being refined for faster centralized communication, music interruption, evacuation instructions, and crowd flow management.

Build-Up Begins Monday

Festival build-up begins Monday ahead of the July 17 opening, with Tomorrowland, the municipalities of Boom and Rumst, the Province of Antwerp, and involved services continuing close collaboration. The investigation into last year's fire cause remains ongoing.