Tomorrowland 2014 Tips & Tricks

So you want to go to Tomorrowland? But you have a million questions and you don’t know where to start… Well, hopefully this blog post will be helpful to you. Ever since I put up my Tomorrowland 2013 After Movie, I’ve been getting many questions regarding the ever-so-popular festival on my YouTube page. I decided to make a blog post, as I figure there are probably many more people who are searching for the same answers.

 It also will get me in the mood for Tomorrowland 2014, as I will be attending once again this year!!! WOOT! (note: I am in no way a Tomorrowland expert, nor am I affiliated with Tomorrowland for that matter. Please take what I say with a grain of salt and do further research on your own. Feel free to ask me questions but I am just a fellow festival goer!)

 How to get tickets:

This is probably the most commonly asked question among everyone wanting to go to Tomorrowland. The fact of the matter is there are only 180,000 tickets available (I believe) and literally millions of people around the world that are trying to get tickets. Out of the 180,000 tickets, Belgians will claim 100,000 of them (they go on sale a week or so before world-wide ticket sales), leaving only 80,000 for the rest of the world to fight over. So you do the math.

 One of the good things about Tomorrowland 2014 is that it is the 10 year anniversary of the festival, and they will be holding it over TWO WEEKENDS. This gives you two times the chance of getting tickets. The problem is that there are still not enough tickets.

 So how did I get tickets in 2013? I did it the more expensive way. I bought a Global Journey Hotel Package. Global Journey Packages are the official Tomorrowland travel packages that go on sale usually a few weeks before regular individual tickets go on sale. This is a genius move on their part, because it allows people to buy pre-packaged deals ahead of time giving them a higher chance of getting tickets. It also makes the process easier because everything is planned out for you and all you have to do is show up! The down side? It’s much more expensive than buying individual tickets.

 There are 3 different types of packages that you could get: hotel, train or flight. Hotel packages are just that: hotel packages. They include ticket to the festival, a hotel room, transportation to and from the festival and hotel and some other little things like the Tomorrowland Newsletter. The train and flight packages include everything above but also transportation from different cities around the world. You can check out the prices and see what is still available here:
http://www.tomorrowland.com/globaljourney

 In my opinion, it is worth paying the premium and getting things booked through Global Journey. If you’re kinda sorta wanting to go to Tomorrowland and money is a huge issue for you, then you can risk it and try to go for individual tickets. However, if you are dying to go and you are able to and willing to pay the extra money in order to get there, I highly recommend buying a Global Journey package and saving yourself the trouble of trying to get individual tickets. My friend and I debated for a while whether to get the Global Journey packages for 2013 or not, and I’m thankful we chose to do so, because our other friends who tried to get individual tickets failed. I mean ALL OF THEM failed. So is it impossible to get tickets? No. But it’s going to be a close call.

Few things to keep in mind: 

• Make sure your credit card limit is high enough - If you’re unsure if your card will work or not, RESEARCH – I’ve heard of some peoples’ cards not working when they were trying to check out
• If you don’t get tickets through the Tomorrowland site, be VERY CAREFUL where you buy your tickets (lots of scammers out there) 
• If you decide to buy individual tickets, you must pre-register on the Tomorrowland website and use the link that they give you in the email on the day of the ticket sales. 
• There are two different types of Tomorrowland tickets – Full Madness Pass and Full Madness Comfort Pass. They will both get you into the festival, but the comfort pass is basically the VIP pass which will let you access the VIP areas. I just had the regular pass last year. If you have the money and don’t like crowds, maybe the Comfort Pass is for you. 

 Accommodation:

If you are lucky enough to get tickets to Tomorrowland, you will either be staying at Dreamville or a different form of accommodation. Dreamville is the official campsite for Tomorrowland which is located right beside the festival, so you can go back and forth as you please.

 Last year, I stayed at a hotel in Brussels as part of the hotel package I purchased through Global Journey. There are definitely some pros and cons of staying at a hotel versus staying in Dreamville.

 Hotel > Dreamville 

1. A hot shower after returning from the festival - mind you, we’ve just spent HOURS dancing, sweating, getting rained on, and getting squished in the crowd… I’ve never been so appreciative of a shower in my life… of course, you can shower at Dreamville. But remember that it’s a campsite so it will definitely not be as comfortable or easy to use, and I do believe each shower costs money. 
2. The comfort of a bed – Not sure about you. But I’m a few years past the age of 18 and now I find myself wanting to pay a premium just for that extra bit of comfort. Roughing it out is fun but after a fun filed but exhausting day, nothing is sweeter than having a warm, cozy bed. 
3. Breakfast included – Although this would depend on the hotel, I presume. 
4. Weather-proof – Last year, it rained on day one and two. It was nice to not have to deal with it when we wanted to go to bed. My friend and I snuck into Dreamville after the last day of the festival (shhhh) and some parts of the ground was SUPER muddy and not so pleasant. 
5. Extra security 
6. Electricity, mirror, clean bathroom, etc… - especially if you’re a girl, you will highly appreciate these amenities! 

 Dreamville > Hotel 

1. The Fun Factor – Since Dreamville is the official campsite for Tomorrowland, it’s like another huge party of its own. At the Dreamville Gathering, you can meet loads of new people and become part of an even bigger experience. If you are staying at a hotel, the fun pretty much begins and ends at Tomorrowland. This is the main reason why we chose to do Dreamville this year again, instead of a hotel. 
2. Proximity to the festival – Another huge pro for choosing Dreamville over Hotel. Unless you can get a hotel in Boom, which is where Tomorrowland is held, the location of Dreamville is a HUGE advantage. Since Dreamville is right by the festival, you can technically come and go as you please. No waiting around in huge lines for a shuttle bus, no leaving early to make sure you catch the shuttle bus in time, no one-hour long bus ride to the festival, etc… 
3. Bring your own food/booze – For those of you wanting to save money, this might be a plus for you. As far as I know, there are no restrictions on how much food and booze to bring with you to Dreamville. I know that some people will probably choose to book their own hotel, stay at a youth hostel, etc… If you do decide to book your own accommodation separately, just make sure you book it as fast as possible, and also make sure that you have some form of transportation.

This is really all I can think of for now! This is a very last minute post, as the tickets go on sale in a few days! Let me know if you have any questions :) 

Tomorrowland 2013 Experience: Blog

Tomorrowland 2013... how do I even begin to explain my experience..? It was absolutely incredible. There is no other place in the world like Tomorrowland. For EDM lovers everywhere, this is paradise. It hurts to write this blog, because it's only a reminder that it's all over and I'm not there anymore.

I've been so lucky to be able to experience an event that some people can only dream about. I held my Canadian flag up high (although I wished I had brought a bigger one) and watched hundreds of other flags up in the air as we all sang and danced to the songs we all know and love.

If you don't know what Tomorrowland is, GTFO. Just kidding, let me introduce you to the world of amazingness that is Tomorrowland.

Tomorrowland is a GIANT electronic music festival that occurs every year (July) in Boom, Belgium, a small town located between Brussels and Antwerp. Like I said, it is an electronic dance music festival and they have all sorts of electronic music: trance, dubstep, dnb, house, progressive, hardstyle,... The festival takes place for three days, starting at around noon and ending around midnight/1 AM. Hundreds of DJs perform on the multiple stages of Tomorrowland. And let me tell you, there are multiple stages. Some are so small, some are in a tunnel, and some are so gigantic that you will be overwhelmed. Whatever type of electronic music you are into, there will be something for any EDM lover out there.

This festival is quite possibly the most anticipated festival in the world at the moment. Tickets are nearly impossible for some to get and they sell out within minutes of release. People from over 200-something countries attend. It's absolutely incredible the number of people proudly holding their flags. There's nothing like Tomorrowland to unite everyone together.

It would take me ages to explain all the details of Tomorrowland. Let me just point out some of the highlights:

• It was an absolute breeze to get in. You just scan your Tomorrowland bracelet, and you're in. No line, no fuss.

• The energy of the crowd is incredible. Especially near the front of the main stage where people are going crazy. You can get high off of the energy alone. You don't even need alcohol or drugs. Just being there will get you buzzed like never before.

• Everyone is chill and friendly. Never saw one fight happening, and everyone just wants to mingle with everyone. People love us Canadians, so it definitely wasn't hard. We met people from all over the world: UK, US, Australia, Israel, Germany, Ireland, etc... So if you go, make sure you bring a flag to represent where you're from. 

• Hardwell. 'Nuff said. 

• The light show and the fireworks at night in the mainstage was the most incredible I've ever seen in a music festival. I've been to my share of EDM events and the light show at Tomorrowland (not surprisingly) is on a whole new level. (These pictures do NOT do justice. The video above is a little better.)

• The selection of food was pretty decent. But keep in mind that before this, I had never really been to a day-time music festival before, so I don't really have anything to compare to. There was a pretty good number of different food vendors (below is a picture of the "veggie burger" I had twice). I do have a little complaint about the water bottles they give out though. Those tiny little water bottles do not last to save my life. I had to constantly refill them! Next year, PLEASE have bigger water bottles (at least 500 ml).

• All the DJs perform their best at Tomorrowland. Since it's such a highly anticipated, watched and marketed event, this is the best time for them to show the world all they've got. You can bet that the sets I heard were incredible. Here's a pretty decent shot of Alesso, after I somehow ended up in the middle of the crowd! Woot! 

Anyway, that was a VERY brief overview of my experience at Tomorrowland 2013. I may do a recap of each of the three days. But that might be too depressing for my poor little heart to handle... I will just have to wait for next year to come... 

p.s. Please let me know if you have any questions or requests for more info :) I'd be more than happy to help. 

Thanks for reading, 

The Rosatron